Aquifer, a PMD:Blue Nuzlocke
by QuinKilo
Summary: To-Do list. One: Not Die. Two: Regain Memory. Three: Convince partner that I am not a human-turned-Cubone, just a Cubone.
1. Step 0: Be Careful of What You Say

_Welcome!_

_Yes! Hello and welcome to the wonderful world of Pokémon!_

**Wha?**

_Ah, I'm sorry. I'm getting ahead of myself._

_This is the __portal__ to the wonderful world of Pokémon, I cannot actually let you through yet._

**I… I don't understand.**

**Where… where am I?**

**Who are you?**

**Where ****are ****you…? I can't see ****myself****—why can't I—**

_Shh…_

**Who are you—where ****IS ****this place? What is going on? Tell me!**

_It is all right, be at peace. There is no reason to panic. Do not worry, there is nothing that can harm you here._

…**okay, thanks. That's comforting; I was hoping that if I **_**was**_** hurt, I could ask them where they saw me and point me in my direction-_where am I!?_**

_Be calm. Here. Come here. There is no need to fret, there is only us here and I only wish to talk._

…**okay.**

…**okay….**

…_now, in order to let you through, I need to ask you several questions. It is important that you answer them truthfully and straight from the heart. Are you ready?_

…**no. But ask anyway.**

_Very well… let us begin._

_Are there many things that you would like to do?_

…

_Do not think, just say. Let me see who you really are, not who you think you are. I am not the one to you, just the one to listen._

**But… you're asking me these questions for a reason. Questions are made to judge people.**

_Is that so? Every question? Even if I ask what you had for breakfast?_

**Then you judge if I'm eating properly. It's no matter if you like or hate blueberry waffles, you'd twist it into a comment for better or for worse. …questions are tools for extracting information to use, even when there's no real answer. Nothing more.**

…**can we move on? I'm… not too sure how to phrase this one.**

_If you'd like._

_On vacation outings, do you go alone, or with others?_

**I'd… like to say I'd love to with everyone else, but I'm never that lucky to get invited to go somewhere or be at the right place at the right time when something is happening. Wait, no. That's not true. I get invited to things, but they're things I don't want to go to.**

_Have you ever asked?_

**If I'm in a group, I get swept along with it. But even then, I can't help but feel like I'm out of place. Like I'm always the odd one out. It's not like everyone doesn't like me it's… I don't know… asking just makes me feel even more out of place—I know it's just me, it's just….**

…_tell me only yes or no. Do you like to noisily enjoy yourself with others?_

…**yes. But—**

_A delinquent is harassing a girl—_

**But…! …nevermind. Is there anyone else around?**

…_do you help her? Even if you're afraid? Do you call the police? Or do you do nothing out of fear? …don't think too much._

**You're not telling me enough.**

_On the contrary, I am telling you all you need to know. You're not good at making snap-decisions aren't you?_

**I can. I just need to—**

_I'll move on then—_

**Fine! I help her, even if I'm afraid. …it's what I'd do. …I think—I don't know I never been in that situation! How would I know how I'd react? **

_..._

…**if there were other people, then I'd help whoever else was helping her. There's always one hero in the group.**

_That hero just isn't you?_

**I'm not insane.**

_That isn't an answer._

…

_Very well._

_Do you like to fight?_

**I try not to get into fights.**

_But you would help the girl._

**I can fight if I have to. That doesn't mean I like it.**

_Grab any finger on your left hand—_

**What**** hand?**

_A fair point._

**What does that have to do with anything anyway?**

_Do you dislike being the last one to leave every day?_

**Who ****are**** you again? And how do you know…?**

…**I don't mind it; it gives me time to think on my own.**

_Do you have many friends?_

**More people call me their friend than I'd call them mine, but I have several.**

_One final question._

_Are there many things you would like to do?_

**This again? No, that's alright. I have my answer now.**

**There are three things—three goals I want to obtain in life and motivate me at every moment, but there are a lot of other things that I'd like to do along the way. Whether I would actually do them is another thing—everyone wants to go bungee jumping, but I'm always afraid the line would snap.**

_So what are those three things?_

**If they were anything else….**

**No. Okay, let's try it this way. Goal… Goal number Three…. Goal Three is… I'm sorry, but this is the only way I can say this.**

**Goal Three. It's out there. Nigh-impossible, and I know it. But I keep trying, even if it's getting hard lately. But I promised, and the only word I trust is my own, so I make it count.**

**Goal Two is only slightly closer, just as impossible but it's my own goal. I set it when I was twelve and I've been striding for it ever since.**

**As for Goal One… that one's… personal. That one takes priority over all else. The moment I see the way to get it, I don't care about anything else. I've worked so… so hard for this one—I can't just let it slip away because I'll never get another chance.**

**I know I'm being vague, but what they are isn't—they might be important, but that's all they I'm saying about them. Really, you'd laugh if I say what they really were. I make it sound like I'm trying to be the first man on Mars or something. You're trying to figure out what kind of person I am. So all you need to know is my attitude towards those goals. The journey, not the payoff. ...right?**

**This is me, so who am I? According to you?**

_According to me, you are yourself._

…**awesome. Can I go home now?**

_And you know who you are as well. You're aware of all your faults, but possibly not their extent. Furthermore, you certainly underestimate your own strengths. Yes, you would help that girl because once you decide on something, you see through it to the end, even at a cost to yourself._

_You are curious, stubbornly strong-willed, even clever at times. But still, you're paranoid and it's that paranoia that fuels your caution, thereby hindering yourself with your fear of the unknown. And it's only when you fully understand that you act, but not a second before._

_You say you feel like you're the odd one out in a group, but only recently has it occurred to you that it is through your own actions, not others, that separate yourself from those around you. You're holding onto a grudge, one from where the paranoia stems from. Furthermore, though you say your goals drive you, your goals themselves stem from that same grudge._

_This one solitary grudge drives your entire life. But you never give it up because you've come so far._

**This entire test was a sham—you know ****exactly**** who I am! ****EXACTLY!**

_And that is why, at the heart of your very soul, you are lonely._

**Oh, shove it….**

_You are afraid of letting anyone into your heart in fear of being used by them, or losing them at some point. Or even worse, force you to fail in what you strive for. So you push them away, keep them at arm's length, and attempt to manipulate and use them. Just as they had used you in the past._

_But don't deny strength of loneliness, because only you know what it's like to be alone. So when the time comes that all hope is lost, all your friends had fallen and it would be just you, forcing one foot in front of the other. All in search of that light at the end of the tunnel that would make it worth every torment and punishment you endured in your life. All you need to do… is put one foot… in front of the other… and you will eventually reach it._

_When that time comes, you would be alone once more, and you would be at home._

_You believe that everything happens for a reason. You just need to find it. And __use__ it._

_Such a lonely Pokémon like you… would be a Cubone._

_I will grant you one boon on your new life. Choose who your partner is going to be. Befriend him or manipulate him; that is up to you. Just… choose wisely as, either way, he will be your greatest asset._

…

_Very well._

_Now then. Our time together has come to an end; I must now let you through, into the world of Pokémon. A wondrous and terrifying journey is ahead of you. Remember, one foot in front of the other. Let the blazing light at the end of this journey your ultimate victory!_

_Good luck!_

…

…

…

…_may you fair better than the last…_

* * *

**Aquifer**

**a Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team Nuzlocke**

**The Rules:**

**1. Take the test and answer truthfully. You can reset once, but will be stuck with whatever Pokémon you get on the second attempt.**

**2. You must carry ****all ****your money with you at all times, but may use item storage.**

**3. Only the first Pokémon with the option can be recruited in a dungeon. All others must be turned down.**

**4. Reviver Seeds must be given to whoever will use them; they cannot be held in the bag.**

**5. Reviver Seeds may be swapped out for another item, but must be dropped. It can be picked back up so long as it is directly given to a Pokémon afterward.**

**6. Any Recruited Pokémon who is sent back to base after being defeated is 'Dead' and must be expelled from the Team.**

**7. If a plot-centric character falls and you have no Reviver Seeds, a Recruit currently in the party, or a reserve Recruit if alone, must be released.**

**8. If no Recruits are present in the Team and a plot-centric character falls, deposit all your money into the bank, never take it back out, and trash all your items in your bag (or sell and put that money in the bank, just get rid of everything).**

**9. Get to Rayquaza.**


	2. Step 1: Don't Act Until Certain

Step One

Don't Act Until Certain

It was a siren's song that woke him. A high, warbling tune that sang through the trees and rippled the leaves overhead. Almost like a bird-song, but scattered throughout it were half-words and syllables that he couldn't make out. Unless a… a…

He groaned and flopped onto his stomach again after the second effort of sitting up. He was almost fine on the ground. Not exactly peachy, but down there the blood didn't rush to his head like it did whenever he tried to push himself up. The helmet didn't exactly help; the pounding reverberating against it and back through his skull… it was only making matters worse.

No, he decided then that he was happy on the ground for the moment. He felt the sun on his body where the light filtered through the canopies above and focused on the feeling of warmth.

…it was interesting. He had lain in the sun before—it was silly to say that he never had. But never had he had this kind of warmth flow over him from just the sunshine. A sort of calming warmth that made him want to lay there for just a little while longer—almost like he was under the several layers of blankets of his bed and didn't want to leave.

He focused on the warmth and the feeling of the grass around him, just lying there, frowning every so often as a cloud would drift in front of the sun and he would lose the warmth. It was a lazy day, and he decided he would stay there for a little while longer, just a little more until he could feel his ears again over the headache. Maybe a little more and drift away into sleep.

…but then it again, it might be dark out when he wakes up and then what will he do? Well, he certainly didn't remember falling asleep out here in the first place and yet no one had bothered him so far. He could stay here until morning.

Yes, that's what he would do, just lay and sleep this weariness off. In the morning or evening or whenever it will be when he wakes up, he'd figure out where he was then. Now though—

"H-hey! You alright?"

The best laid plans...

Someone ran up to him and he felt the grass ahead of him bend as whoever it was skidded to a stop.

"Hey, you okay?" A scratchy voice that had more curiosity than concern. Whoever it was sighed, "Out cold, figures."

He felt his shoulder shake.

"Hey! Wake up! It's not safe to just snooze out here in the open! Oi, com'on!"

He winced, it wasn't like this newcomer's voice was grating, it just reminded me of his headache which, upon realizing it had been ignored until now, hammered him on the head. He flinched and groaned, a hand coming up to rub his forehead only to find the helmet. Fishing lower and lower, he found the lip only to bop into his nose.

Groaning even more, he flipped back the helmet and raised both hands to his face, rubbing his forehead.

"Uh… …are you okay, Cubone?"

"Cubone?" He mumbled, coughing in surprise on how dry his voice was. He forced himself into a sitting position, flinching with the pounding in his head. "I don't think I have a Cubone."

…wait, 'have a Cubone?' That would mean he was a Pokémon Trainer.

...was he a Pokémon Trainer?

…wait.

He pressed his fingers against his skull.

Wait.

"Did you take a hit on the head or something," The stranger less more concluded than asked, the voice again flaring up his headache. "… is it even possible for a Pokémon to forget what they are?"

Forget.

He froze.

There was nothing. His mind was blank.

_Oh no._

…wait.

"…can you say that again?" Why did his voice sound so dry? How long was he out?

"I mean—you know how you can forget stuff when you get hit on the head?" The voice audibly shrugged, "I'm wondering if it's possible for you've forgotten what kind of Pokemon you are."

"What kind of…?" He drifted off as he looked through his fingers. A Totodile stood a few strides away, the small, blue crocodile pacing along the forest floor. …if he was sitting, how was that Totodile taller than him? He dropped his hands and looked around; the trees seemed gigantic as well. No one else was around. "…where are you?"

The Totodile shook his head as it paced back, "Okay, I'm not even sure if amnesia covers _that_."

He flinched, his helmet flopping back over his eyes. He almost pulled it away before he realized there were two holed over his eyes, perfectly cut in the white material so he could see quite clearly. In fact, it felt like it fit his head perfectly when it was down like this. A small part of his mind wondered why the helmet arched so far out in front of him, but the rest was focused on a much more pressing realization.

"You… was that you. That just talked. Just now—the _Totodile._"

The Totodile tilted its head, red eyes narrowing slightly, "Now you're just messin' with me."

That certainly was the Totodile.

He pushed himself away, but caught himself on something and ended up on his back, then rolled onto his front. Somehow, his helmet stayed on even though it shouldn't have. Shaking his head, he pushed himself up.

Then collapsed back to his stomach to look at his hands.

Not hands. Claws.

Two clawed fingers, thumb, wide palm in between. Brown skin—no brown scales—_scales_ that ran up his arm to his shoulder—he wasn't wearing anything! Brown scales with a lighter, more creamier brown over his stomach. On his back, two spikes stuck out of his spine on the way down to a….

Tail.

A tail.

He swallowed and looked back up to the Totodile with wide eyes.

He had a tail.

"_I'm_ _the Cubone_," he said, barely making a sound. "…that means…" He ran a finger—no, a claw along the top of the nose of the skull, pushing down on it and feeling the pressure underneath for most of the way down it on what would then be his snout underneath. "…that this isn't a helmet…."

He the world blurred as he collapsed again.

A blast of pain snapped it back to focus.

He snapped up into a ball, shivering, hyperventilating, cradling his damp tail, holding it to his chest.

"_How _did you manage to_…_?" The Totodile sighed, "Okay, sorry." Much quieter, to itself, "…didn't think that would actually work." It cleared his throat and knelt down next to him, offering a hand. ...claw? Paw? He slowly uncurled himself. "I'm Sobek. And you, 'sides the weirdest Pokemon I've ever met…. Cubone aren't all that common here. So….?"

After much glancing between the Totdile's eyes and its hand, he took it and was pulled up. He teetered on his feet—he couldn't exactly stand straight up—_like a human except he wasn't a human_—it felt more natural to half-crouch, knees locked at an angle, and subtly rock back and forth on his feet—more towards the single talon of the foot than the heel. It felt _natural_, it felt _right_ and those two feelings disturbed him.

But… Sobek—like… like…. Where did he hear that name before?

Sobek blinked, huge mouth smirking in surprise, "You're tall for a Cubone. Like, a head taller." It glanced him over, "Oh, you got longer legs. A runner then, right?"

He took a step back from the fang-filled jaw level with his eyes, stumbling over his tail.

_He had a tail._

"…I don't know what you're talking about," He said, forcing himself not to hyperventilate with deep breaths and looked around again with wide eyes. The trees were like giants around them with even the lowermost branches of them so far up in the sky. The bushes scattered around in the forest were at least twice as tall as he was and the grass came up to his knees—and he was even on a path. A _path!_ Off between the trees, the grass grew to heights taller than he was!

Everything was so huge_!_

_so huge and he wasn't a human but a cubone and he had a tail a tail a tail a tail_

He turned back to Sobek, and grabbed its shoulders. "I… I d-d-don't know what's going on, I'm…! I'm human! _Human!_"

An incredulous look frowned in Sobek's eyes with the very corners of his mouth, "…sure. Just… don't faint the next time you look at your reflection."

He stepped back, shaking, looking over himself again.

"No-no! I… I c-can't remember anything, just…" He looked back to his hands, "just that I-I'm supposed to be human and…." He sat back down (after some difficulty from his tail) just as his legs gave out and shook his head. Panicked tears welled up in his eyes and he curled back into a ball. He exhaled sharply, "I can't remember anything. I can't remember anything." He planted his face in his hands. He kept moving them, trying to find the best angle and way to hold his head over his helm. He ultimately tossed it away and covered his eyes, thumbs along his jaw. "There's nothing—I'm supposed to be human—I'm _supposed to be...!_"

_His mouth and nose were part of the same—_

Sobek, after looking away for a few seconds, sat down across from him. Very carefully, "…can you remember your name?"

"My…?" He looked up from his hands, meeting Sobek's eyes and the genuine concern in them. His eyes fogged over for an instant. "David. My name is David." He blinked, eyes refocusing. A strange sneer crossing his face—David didn't know how to smile with his new face. "My _name_ is _David_." The strange sneer disappeared. "…that's… the only thing I remember. My name is David, and I'm a human."

_but he wasn't a human he was a Cubone so small with a tail a tail a tail_

Sobek tilted its head, eyes humored but trying to hide it, "That's a sil—"

"Somebody! Anybody! Please help me!"

Sobek jumped to his feet at 'Some', head snapping around to find where the cries of panic had come from. "Oh, no…." It slammed David's helmet on his head and pulled him back to his feet. "_Getupgetupgetup_!"

"Wha—" Sobek pointed through the trees behind David.

A Butterfree darted through the trunks, weaving through them all. It glanced at them, disappeared behind a tree, then darted back out and towards them.

"Eeeeeh… we' be been spotted," Sobek said quietly.

"What?"

"Well, it's kinda clear we're not feral. I mean, you're a Cubone—dah! And you're too pale to be irrational! I—we don't have time to do _that! _Oh, I'm not going to like this…." Sobek faded off into a groan.

"…what?"

"Please help me!" the Butterfree pleaded as it skidded to a stop in the air above them. David looked up at the huge bug. "My baby! My poor little Caterpie! Please, you must help me!"

Sobek winced and glared at David when the Butterfree glanced back the way it came. Sobek cleared its throat, "Okay, calm down ma'am. Take a deep breath and tell us what happened."

Ma'am? Oh, the large purple spots on the lower wings… male Butterfree don't have those. It then hit him: the Butterfree was normal sized, _he was small_—most Cubone are only a foot tall. Totodile, two feet. A third and two-thirds meters, respectively. He was probably one foot, six inches—half a meter, maybe a bit more, judging his height from Sobek.

He visibly flinched. Where did _that_ come from?!

"I was out for a walk with my little Caterpie when another earthquake struck!" She started. Earthquake? _Another_? …shouldn't he have felt that? Sobek would have definitely mentioned it when it first found him, "And… and… my poor little baby fell into a fissure in the ground. When I tried to get my baby, wild Pokemon attacked me! Please!" She hovered down close to them, David felt the air move from her wings. The two took a step back in unison. The Butterfree flew closer. "You must help me—you two boys are the only two non-wild and rational Pokémon I've found so far!"

The two of them quickly found themselves with their backs against a tree, the Butterfree sobbing only inches away from their faces, her wings flapping violently behind her.

"Um," Sobek cleared his throat off to the side, "Lady, we're not—"

"But the time I reach the Square to get help from there my baby… oh, my poor baby…. _Please you must help me!_" On the beats away from the two, a faint, purple powder fell from her wings. "You _must!_"

Wait a second, that's—!

"Okay!" Sobek snapped, "We'll try to find him!"

"No-no, you _will_ find him!" The Butterfree screeched, "You _will _find him!" The purple powder fluttered past them, arching around them and the tree. David had long stopped breathing, he could _see_ the color being drained out of the grass around the tree.

"_We will find him! _Okay! Okay! Please, let us get going!"

"Oh, yes! Yes, I'll wait here for you!" The Butterfree said, her relief mixing in with hysteria. "When you find my baby, you can bring him right back here and I'll be waiting." She fluttered a little ways away and ceased shedding powder. "You know where the Tiny Woods are, yes? The fissure opened up there in the largest clearing! Please, go! Go _now_."

"Yesma'am," Sobek said and shimmied along the tree away from her.

"Aren't you going to help your partner, Cubone?" Butterfree asked, far too much courtesy was in her voice. Sobek spun back around, David was frozen against the tree, and what little Sobek saw of his face under the skull didn't matter, they were both the same color.

"B-b-b-but-I'm—" David swallowed, the Butterfree tilted her head. The faint traces of the purple powder falling from her wings again. "I'm-I'm not—I'm a—I'm-I'm-I'm—!"

"Don't worry about the grass types—it's Tiny Woods!" Sobek butted in, grabbing David's arm and pulling him away. Sobek looked to the Butterfree, her head tilted the other way, blank red eyes emotionless. "Ha-ha—he's a ground type. He's always a little hesitant—with grass types, you know? It's like if a bir—your Caterpie? He's as good as right here. Right next to you. And us? We're gonna make that happen. Right now."

He pulled David along behind him, the Cubone too terrified to trip over himself.

* * *

**A/N:  
For this and future chapters, as this is a Nuzlocke, I kinda want to make some comment, but at the same time, put as little in these notes as I can. Because you're here for the story, not me in the notes.**

**That said, I'll be very short. I always felt the shock of becoming a Pokemon should be a bit more involved in the plot and David takes it to a logical extreme. Granted, Butterfree didn't exactly help, now did she?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Step 2: Don't Move Until Stable

Step Two

Don't Move Until Stable

They didn't stop until they were well within the fissure, and even then Sobek kept looking behind them.

David's color came back with his exhaustion and he collapsed on the ground, arm finally falling out of Sobek's hand.

Sobek nodded and leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down it, eyes not leaving the way they came in.

"You okay?" The Totodile asked after a minute. Sobek sighed, "We can't rest too long here. …David…?" He looked down, the Cubone laid face-down on the ground, gasping. "David, you alright?"

"No," David panted, the first thing he said since they started running. "Of course I'm not alright—I've been turned into a Cubone and on my first day…! On my first day, I've been threatened by a Butterfree…." He scoffed. "A _Butterfree._ …she's insane." David pushed himself into a sitting position and looked over to Sobek, the panic in his eyes still there, but of a different sort. "She's completely lost it!"

"Oooh yeah," Sobek nodded. "I _really_ hope it's just the shock of losing her kid. Otherwise…. Look, David. You saw the poison powder—we _have_ to find her Caterpie otherwise we're never going to leave this fissure."

"What if he's not here?"

Sobek shook his head, "No-no. He's here."

David frowned, "How'd you know?"

Sobek frowned for a moment, then leaned towards David before shrugging. "Ah, okay. Come over here for a second. Just trust me here." Huffing a sigh, David half crawled, half flopped over to Sobek. His face went white again. Sobek nodded, "Yeah, you couldn't feel that over there, didn't you?"

"What…?" David pushed himself up, squinting down the corridor. He flipped up his helmet and squinted again. "…it's like… a void—like I _feel_ there's just _nothing_ there, but I can see the tunnel…?" He shivered. "What _is_ that?"

"That," Sobek knocked David's helmet back down, "is the tell-tail sign of a Mystery Dungeon."

The Cubone adjusted his helmet, half-glaring at Sobek, "I don't know what that is."

"Yeah, I know. Amnesia," Sobek groaned. "I'll explain later. The important part is, the kid's still in there because this is a fresh fissure—this is the entry _and_ the exit and the kid ain't here. He's in there and we have to go and get him."

David shook his head.

"We either go in there, fight a whole slew of wilds and irrationals that we're both not so good at. Or, we go out there and get poisoned. We get confusion'd. We just flat out kinda just want to die. …you remember how to fight right?"

"I am a _human._"

Sobek sighed, "Not this again."

David face fell, "…you don't believe me?!"

"David," Sobek said carefully, "Don't get me wrong, I believe you when you say you don't remember anything, you Cubone think your, uh, helmets mean you can just headbutt everything you can't club. But as for you being a human, well…." Sobek shook his head, sighing, "Every so often, there's a Pokémon that goes and claims they're human—it's not that uncommon. Then, they go and create a whole mess of trouble because they either believe their own fantasy, or everyone else does and follows their lead. There have been _wars_ over this sort of thing. Arceus, if that Butterfree knew you thought you were human, you wouldn't have gotten two steps away. _I_ wouldn't have gotten two steps away."

David swallowed hard, "…you… the Pokémon here don't like humans?"

Sobek got up. "David, how can you prove it—that you really were one? It just boils down to you saying something without any fact. I mean, how do I really know you don't remember anything? You might be the greatest actor I've ever seen and have me completely fooled! Memory is one thing, but… humans—Pokémon saying they were once human... they just a cause of problems and this world has enough issues as it is. Trust me on that. You're just a Cubone," Sobek offered a hand. David looked away, down the tunnel.

"A weird Cubone," Sobek continued, "but you're still not as bad as some Pokémon out there. Just a little confused. I just don't know _why_ you think you're human. Maybe you either met a Prophet or some goon of one—uh, don't look at me like that. It's just what we call Pokemon who say they were human—the why's a long story."

Sobek hesitated, "Maybe that's why you can't remember. Or maybe even _don't want_ to remember—nevermind. My point is, how can you really know? You can't remember anything, but you're sticking to this one thing and you don't know why. And David, it ultimately doesn't matter if is actually true or not, it's going to get you killed if the wrong Pokemon find out."

David looked down and away for a second. After a minute, he sighed, eyes closing to fight back tears. Slowly, he nodded and took the help up.

The two walked down the corridor a little bit before stopping. To David, it just felt like the entire world just stopped existing right in front of him, but he could clearly see the little tunnel turning towards the right a few feet away.

Sobek nodded, "Come on. Let's find this Caterpie before the little guy gets himself squashed or eaten or something. Or, let's at least check out our new digs." He glanced to David, "I hope you remember how to fight."

David laughed weakly, "If I was still hu—"

"_Ah-ah-ahhh_."

David swallowed his words, then sighed, looking down at his hands, flexing his six fingers, tapping the claws on the tips. He shrugged, "Well. Pointy claws," He held them up for Sobek to see then tapped the Totodile's shoulder. "Poke. Poke." David shrugged. "Push-comes-shove, you'll just have to show me."

Sobek laughed, "Come-on, not what I meant. You're a Cubone you got your…." He flinched, blue scales going a few shades ligther. "…David. Where's your club?"

"My what?"

"David. Your club."

"I had a cl—oh that's _right_! Cubone's have bone clubs, don't they?" David frowned, rubbing his jaw.

"_David_. That's not funny. Your club was right next to you—what kind of Cubone _leaves their club_—and _show you_…?!" Sobek shook his head, jaw dropping slightly. "…do you seriously remember absolutely nothing—nothing at all!?"

"I'm trying to remember—I just can't!" David sighed. "It's just a club though, right? It's not going to be much use here anyway… right? Maybe something will come back when we get in a fight, but you can always just show me, right?"

"No—but—you don't—dah! David. _David._ The only time a club leaves a Cubone's grip is when they _throw the thing_. No—but—it's like an instinct for them _not to_ let go of the—Okay!" Sobek threw up his hands. "Okay! Later. Agreed? Later? We have something a bit more to worry about right now!"

"Agreed. Later."

Sobek nodded and ran in.

David took three hurried steps, tripped into Sobek, and the two of them crashed into the Dungeon.

* * *

**A quick heads up. I may or may not be changing the title, or adding a byline to it at the very least.  
This is mostly due to the naming convention of the chapters that I thought up and implemented last chapter which will be rather important as we move along. **

**Again, I'm not sure if I will or what it'll ultimately be. I just picked what I did so I didn't get stuck on it for a week like I usually do.  
**


	4. Step 3: Don't Seek Further Endangerment

Step Three

Don't Seek Further Endangerment

Sobek pushed Daved off him, "Come on, don't tell me you can't even remember how to run." He scowled.

David stopped on his back, wincing as he found the spines on his back weren't exactly flexible. At least the grass cushioned them a little bit. At least he was back in the sunlight again.

Wait a second—that's not right!

"Uh, Sobek," David said, laughing nervously, "Aren't we supposed to be underground?"

"We _are_ underground." Sobek pulled David to his feet again.

"Then why can I see the sun?" The Cubone asked, pointing the clouds. He glanced around, "Wait—how are we back in the forest?" Dense trees surrounded them, their leaves dancing in the wind. They themselves were in an empty clearing, a small path exiting it just off to their left. Just one. Only dense trees were behind them with enough grass and shrubs to make it impossible for the two small Pokémon to fight through. …that was where they just rolled through—David flipped up his helmet, squinting as if it would give a different picture, "Where is the entrance—Sobek, where's the entrance?!"

Sobek clamped David's mouth shut, "Easy. We're in a Mystery Dungeon. Short version. No one is really sure how these things work. They form in over areas and rearrange things. This one seems to think it's above ground, so it copied the forest up there, down here. That's not the sun, not really. It might look like it, it might feel like it, but it's not. It's the Dungeon Curse doing it. We're actually in a cave, in that fissure. Below ground, not above it."

"Uht ow oo ee it oot?" David sounded out from his clamped muzzle.

"We get out by going through it," Sobek nodded to the path out of the clearing, flipping David's helmet back down and dropping his hands. "Don't worry about it right now. Just don't get the local's attention."

David put the helmet back up and he looked around, "…and if we do?"

Sobek shrugged, "This is still Tiny Woods, we shouldn't have _that_ much of a problem." He glanced away, "Really, Butterfree shouldn't have had this much trouble on her own. She's fully evolved; she doesn't have to worry about a little Pidgey." He shook his head. "Come on. You go first."

David flinched, the skull falling back down from the movement. "But I don't—"

Sobek pushed David ahead, the Cubone digging his heels only to skid along the grass, "You lead so you don't trip into me. If we run into anything, get out of the way let me take care of it." Sobek grinned, taking a step back into a fighting stance, claws and fangs gleaming in the not-sunlight. "I might be a little rusty, but this is still Tiny Woods." David just gave him a flat glare. Sobek sighed and rolled his eyes, "…come on, let's go."

David glanced back to the path out of the clearing, rolling his shoulders before fidgeting with his helmet. After a minute, he nodded and started out.

The Dungeon looked a lot like the forest above them, the same trees, bushes, flowers. Except… except nothing felt right—and it wasn't just the claustrophobia from how small the path was with the dark forest around them. Even though Sobek said that it was all an illusion, it was hard to keep in mind that the grass they were fighting their way through wasn't actually there.

So what, exactly, were they pushing aside if it wasn't really grass?

Nervously, David plucked a blade and fidgeted with it, tearing off little segments of illusion and tossing them aside.

"Breadcrumbing isn't exactly going to work here," Sobek muttered. "Keep track of what goes where without relying on landmarks."

"Not breadcrumbing, just terrified," David muttered back.

Sobek laughed softly, "This is _just_ Tiny Woods—kids come out here to play and fight the wilds behind their parents' backs. Any Pokémon in here had to have come the same way we did—through the fissure."

"So why don't they find the way out—there _is_ a way out right?"

"There is a way out."

"Okay, so where is it?"

"We need to go as far as we can, to where the Dungeon stops."

"And then what? We just turn around and walk out?"

"Actually, yeah." David stopped and tossed a questioning glare over his shoulder. Sobek paused, watching David trying to find the best angle to look back with his right eye. "…getting out of Dungeons from an endpoint is far easier than getting to that endpoint. Just relax, David. We just need to keep walking."

David scoffed, rubbing his arms as he started walking again, "It's hard to keep calm when you keep looking around like a Tauros is going to charge us out of nowhere."

"I'm keeping an eye on things."

"Stop bouncing then!"

"I'm trying to look over you—I let you lead because I thought you were a little bit shorter."

"Look around me then! I thought it was so I didn't trip into you."

"That too. And it's kinda hard to look around that big head of yours."

David frowned, "There's another clearing up ahead."

"Yeah, it looks like the grass turns to dirt there," Sobek said after another hop up.

"…so there's something in there that's worn it down?"

"This is a Mystery Dungeon, it doesn't work like that. …usually. There's a lot of things about them that Pokémon misunderstand about them." He groaned and planted his face into his hands, "Of course—that's why the Butterfree sent us…."

David looked back, "So how do you know—"

"Dave—Pidgey!"

"Whaa—aaaack!"

A ball of feathers crashed into him, sending him stumbling backwards as he flailed onto his back. The brown blur bounced back several feet, the Pidgey stopping in the air. The small brown bird's head tilting and eyes blinking as it regained its composure.

Seeing the blue crocodile but ignoring the teeth, it shrieked and charged—Sobek jumped over David, spinning. The bird darted around him but Sobek hit it with his tail, sending the Pidgey careening into the shrubs on the other side of David.

"David, get up, it's not down yet. David?" Sobek glanced down to his comrade—the Pidgey rocketed out of the brush into his shoulder. Sobek skidded back with the hit, the Pidgey ricocheting off and past him, coming to a stop where it did before. It fell to the tips of the grass and flapped hard, kicking up dust into Sobek's eyes.

He promptly stepped through the dust storm and grabbed the thing by the legs. It looked down and squawked once.

"Yes, I am totally going to miss you from here," Sobek sneered with glaring, narrowed eyes, dodging the wings as they flailed. Clonking it on the head once, the Pidgey fell over, unconscious. He sighed. "David?"

"…I'm good," the Cubone groaned. "Hit the helmet… it just didn't help my headache, that's all." He sat up, groaning and resettling his helmet "You get it?"

"Pidgey," Sobek repeated, holding it up at arm's length, looing it over, examining its wings. "The typical sort of Tiny Woods—puny little thing, probably a few weeks out of the nest. Doesn't have Dungeon Phage yet, but then again, fresh Dungeon. Hopefully it'll get kicked out by the curse in a little bit and have a happy life of waking me up way too early every day." He frowned, glancing at David. "Absolutely nothing a Butterfree should worry about. If a tail whip and a hit on the head KO's it, a confusion would probably ground it for long after it wakes up, if that Butterfree wasn't completely insane." He bluntly punted it into the brush. "Heck, any Pidgey fit to evolve don't mess with a Butterfree for that reason!"

David stood back up, trying to rub his head through his helmet, "Sorry, should have been paying attention. It kinda just ran into me."

"Could have gone worse," Sobek shrugged and walked to the edge of the clearing, "Okay, we're clear here. Looks like there's two paths here." He looked back, "But yeah, that's the one thing with Cubones. Take their little club away and they're a bit awkward in a fight. No offense."

"Well, can you teach me then?" David said, catching up and walking next to him as they crossed the clearing. "I mean, how do you do that? What you just did?"

Sobek sighed, rubbing his eyes, "Unbelievable."

"Huh?"

"…that was really simple stuff, instinct really." Sobek blinked harshly. "Hate Pidgeys, so much—how do they always find the loose soil to kick up? Dah…." He shook his head, "Look, all of that was—Wurmple." He pointed to their left. A red and white caterpillar crawled along the ground, unaware of the two."

David looked around, "…where did it come from?"

Sobek shook his head, "No idea, it's just something the dungeon does. Or it was hiding in the brush from the Pidgey and decided to make a break for it." He glanced at David. "Don't just stand there—go get it."

"What?"

"It's a Wurmple. A _Wurmple!_ It's not like it's a Weedle—the most it can do is spit silk at you. …actually… no, you're ground-type, you'd still have no problems against poison. Go on. Before it notices us. I realize you don't have your club, but seriously? If you've lost your _instincts_ then you're one sorry Cubone." David blinked, Sobek rolled his eyes. "Just don't think too much on it, do what _feels_ right!"

David looked back at the Wurmple as it slowly marched across forest floor. He glanced at Sobek, he urged him on. Frowning, David rolled his shoulders, took a breath, and charged. Halfway there, he shouted a war cry.

The Wurmple turned, looking at David in confusion for a second before shooting a String Shot. David hopped over it, then sidestepped the next shot but got tagged his tail. He wobbled a few steps but reached the Wurmple and, before it could shoot him point-blank, he kicked the thing, sending it flying back into the brush.

David pumped his fist into the air, "Ha!" He turned back to Sobek, "How was that!?"

"First instinct is to kick it," Sobek face palmed, trying not to laugh, "_Why_ did you kick it? All that did was send it flying. Slash it, or slam it with your tail, make sure you know you KO'd it. When you knock out the wilds here, chances are the dungeon will kick them out."

"Huh?"

"It's what happens when someone falls unconscious in a Mystery Dungeon," Sobek shrugged, "The curse kicks them out somewhere near the exit or something like that. That Pidgey? I kicked it into the brush so nothing messes with it until the dungeon kicks it out. It's an out of sight, out of mind thing—I don't understand it. But it's like that Wurmple appearing." Sobek shook his head, "Ah, nevermind. So long as it's not our problem anymore, we're good."

David's pride deflated slightly and jogged back over to Sobek. He froze, "…wait, what if the Caterpie's somewhere in the brush? I mean, just because _we_ can't, doesn't mean he couldn't."

Sobek seethed, pulling the silk off of David's tail and looking at it closely, "Here's the thing. There's only about a foot of woods, and then the cave wall—even if it looks like it goes forever. That Pidgey bounced off nothing when I threw it in—poor guy." Sobek tilted his head in thought, "Long story short, Caterpie wouldn't go into the brush since there's a myth that the walls of a Mystery Dungeon eat Pokémon."

"…that sounds kinda silly."

"Well," Sobek shrugged, "They're not that far off—it's except it's not the walls that eats Pokémon. Come on, let's see what's down this path."

David hesitated, "…now you're messing with me."

* * *

"Alright, we're doing good here," Sobek nodded. "We've got a Pecha berry and two Oran—one Oran berry." He glared at David.

"…you said it heals," David shrugged, mouth half-full from the berry. He almost looked happy munching on that thing. If it wasn't for the undertones of terror in his voice and eyes under the brave face he was putting on, he almost seemed content. "It stopped the headache. 'sides, I haven't can't remember the last time I ate." He paused for a second, then laughed at his own joke. "You never told me how these got in here anyway. I mean… this place just formed right?"

"Some wilds probably brought it in with them, they carry things sometimes," Sobek sighed and pushed another unconscious Pidgey aside with a foot before looking over the Pecha berry he held. "For a hole in the ground, not sure why there's so many Pidgey. Wurmples? Yeah. Birds? No. …kinda just wish we had a pack to hold all this in and not carry it around by hand." He tossed the other Oran berry to David.

David fumbled the catch and jugged it through the air before it settled in his arms. "…I could just carry it all in my helmet. Find some vines, tie it in such a way to keep it against my back, and it's a pack, right?"

"Yeah, but—" Sobek scowled. He almost said something, then cut himself off as they saw another small band of red marching across the forest floor. "Okay, Dave—Wurmple." David nodded and charged. "This time, spin, jump, slam your tail down on it, and push against it to roll back onto your feet. Without landing on it this…."

"Haaaalp…."

Sobek grimaced, seething to himself as he marched up to the Wurmple. In all respect, it looked quite happy with itself, perched atop what looked more like a poorly evolved Silcoon than a Cubone. Sobek glared at it and snarled—he received his maw encased in silk. Now the bug was full of itself. He snorted, eyes narrowing as he slashed the caterpillar with his claws and let it run.

With some effort, Sobek pulled the silk off his face and set about freeing David.

"You know, you did kinda well with that first one even if you woke everyone up."

"I wasn't expecting it to shoot seven times its body weight in string shot," David pushed himself up and forced off his helmet, scowling at all the web on it, his triangular ears flicking in annoyance. "I mean, seriously. It's a _tiny_ little thing. I've got enough silk on me to weave an entire tapestry."

"We're not _that_ much larger than it…" Sobek started but trailed off as he looked around the clearing they were resting in at the moment.

"Yeah but…." David faded off as he struggled with a glob over the right eyehole. He put the helmet on the ground, planted a foot on it, and pulled again, growing in frustration as it wouldn't budge. "…I thought that the string shot wouldn't have been _this_ tough! I mean, it's not a Spinarak. Come _on!_ You stupid thing! _Raaaaaaaaaaah_!" His grip slipped and he hobbled backwards. He snorted.

Sobek looked back to David, "What does it not being a Spinarak have to do with anything? Its web is pretty much the same thing."

"Yeah, but… oh, forget this!" David scowled and kicked his helmet to the side.

"…uh, David? You're going to need that. …David. You're a Cubone, not a Kangaskhan. _You're going to need that._"

"I don't have a club, might as well go for not having the set."

"_David._"

"Fine, fine, fine…." He stormed over to where it rolled and grabbed it. "Can you at least help me get the silk off of the eye so I can see?" He scowled and shoved into Sobek's arms. After a bit of struggling between the two of them, they got it off.

"There," Sobek set the helmet back on David's head, stepping back carefully as he met David's unenthused eyes. "Now stop taking it off! If there's one thing that's going to make Pokemon suspicious, it's a Cubone that keeps fidgeting with its skull. When we get out, stand in the sun—the actual sun—for an hour or so and the web crumbles off." David scowled and walked away, grumbling, resettling his helmet. "…are you okay, David?" The Cubone glared over his shoulder.

David scoffed, "I've lost my memory and before I could even come to terms with that, I was held at poison point to rescue a kid in a Mystery Dungeon—which I know nothing about. I don't think I ever was a fighter—"

"All Cubones are fighters. Otherwise they'd be Kangaskhans. You just don't have your club—"

"Because _you_ literally dragged me away from back there before I could even get my bearings! _Do you think I'm okay!?_" David shook his head as he paced away again, sighing. "I'm just—I need a second to just…."

"I get where you're coming from, David, I really do," Sobek sighed, dashing up to walk in step beside him. "And this _sucks_—I really don't want to be doing this either. But you're doing a good job right now—amazing, all things considered—and we've come in quite a ways. I actually didn't think it would be this deep. There isn't any way we could have missed him, there's only been one or two branching pathways so far and even then it we would have caught him if he wandered back the way we came."

"…Sobek…?" David said in a vary voice. Sobek turned to see him ten feet back, looking down at his foot a very blank look on his face. "How afraid should I be of a Sunkern?"

"The weakest grass-type? Not very. Just grab it by the leaves and kick it away—you're good at that."

David nodded, "Okay. Okay. How about four Sunkerns?"

Sobek hesitated. "How many are there, really?"

"About seven. I'm dead serious."

"Alright. This is what we do."

* * *

"Woah-woah-woah-woah!" David stumbled with the double-take, "There he is—Sobek, that way!" Sobek blindly crashed into him and the two rolled down the fork towards the little green caterpillar. When everything stopped spinning, David found himself looking into the black eyes of an upside down Caterpie. He sighed and pointed to it, "Hey. How'zit going? You're mom's going crazy over you, ya know?" He looked to the Totodile on top of him. "Okay, we found him. Where to now?"

"Give me a second, now _I_ have the headache," Sobek grumbled as he shook the stars away and looked around. "Dead end."

"Aw, great."

"But, do you feel that? Or _don't _feel that? The sunshine? This is the deepest point in the dungeon." Sobek laughed, "We just need to go right back that way and we'll be out in no time." He rolled off David and pulled him up, then stooped down to the Caterpie, "Your mother sent us to rescue you. Are you okay? You don't look hurt."

"…I'm fine," the Caterpie said quietly. The little guy shrunk away from the two, antenna drooping.

"Honestly," Sobek grinned warmly, "I'm amazed you got this far in—without a scratch too!" He glanced to David, "He did better than us, eh, David?" The Cubone was absorbed in squinting up the hill they had rolled down. Sobek elbowed him, muttering, "Kid's freaked out as you were—"

"Still am, just ignoring that for now because there are killer seeds on our tails."

"Just help m—"

"Yeah," David said quickly, glancing back to Caterpie, "A natural born explorer."

"Really?" Caterpie perked up, a sparkle forming in his eye. "…could I join your team? Can I?"

David tossed a look back to Sobek. The Totodile blinked, recoiling slightly, "Uh, well—"

"Sobek!" David hissed, pulling the Totodile away, "They caught up!" He pointed to the crest of the hill. Three Sunkerns started rolling down the hill, with a Pidgey darting down it. "Why is the bird coming for us when those Sunkerns are the one that woke it up?"

"Nevermind that—where are the other six?" Sobek charged forward to meet the Pidgey and lashed out at it the moment it reached him. It dodged, twisting overtop him and wobbling in the air. David hopped left and intercepted it before it could recover and spun. It was a clumsy tail-whip, but it connected well-enough, glancing off the right wing of the bird and deflecting it enough to crash into a tree trunk behind the group. The bird stood back up, and David promptly punted it back into the trees.

"Pidgey's dealt with!"

"Easy bit's done," Sobek grimaced and pointed to the top of the hill, "We need to get back up there—this is a Deep Point, up there's the way out. Somewhere along that hill, we'll get kicked out of the dungon. There's just five Sunkerns in our way now." He scowled, "I took out a few while we ran so I was expecting one or two, but five at once?! Where did they all-"

"Wait-wait-wait, I have an idea!" David blinked. "Yeah, it'll work. Caterpie, can you string-shot them? Tangle them up and we'll just book it!"

"Me?" Caterpie recoiled.

"Sunkern are Sunkern," Sobek said, glancing back to the two, "But Sunkern are still Grass-types and even they can suck our life energy. We'll go down easy if we're not careful. Either way, here they are."

Three teeny, tiny yellow and black seeds, each with a little sprout growing out of their tops, rolled into the clearing and hopped up, their happy eyes glossed over with a dull, deathly sheen while their smiling mouths oozed hunger pains to the two the pack was actively hunting.

_Hunting_. These aren't Poochyenas, they're Sunkerns!

"Don't these things try _not_ to move to conserve energy to evolve?" David asked as he and Sobek took a step back.

"Well, if you've been trying to feed of a sun that isn't really there and two Pokemon appear that you can drain a lotta life—"

"Alright—you're _not_ helping!" David shook his head. "Okay, Caterpie. They want us, not you. Wait for the other two to get in range, then stick it to them. Last thing we want is for them to ingrain themselves. At least not right at the exit. Okay?"

Caterpie nodded.

One by one, the three little seeds bounced towards the two lizards while the caterpillar edged around them.

"David," Sobek whispered. "Not a single word of this when we get out of here. We'll be the laughingstock of the area if anyone finds out we ran from a Sunkern. Doesn't matter how many."

"Agreed. What about the kid?"

"The kid who's been dodging Pidgeys since he got in here? He understands _completely_."

The other two Sunkern entered the clearing.

"Now! _Now!_"

Caterpie jumped and blasted the two groups of Sunkern with web, almost on reflex. The shine in their eyes completely falling away to a flat black and their mouths continued to smile in a wordless rage.

"Gogogogogo!" The two ran around the Sunkern and, between the two of them, picked up Caterpie and, giving the other group a large berth, booked up the hill.

A shriek cried through the air and another Pidgey rocketed down the slope.

"Not now!" Sobek chucked his berry at the bird, hitting it and knocking it off track. "We're almost there, keep go—"

The forest fell away to rock walls in the matter of steps—David skidded his shoulder into a wall, Sobek half-crashed into him. Sighing and sitting his head against it, David let Caterpie down from his arm, as did Sobek behind him. Slowly, the Cugone laughed.

"Hey, Sobek," He turned. "We got 'im!"

"Yeah!" the Totodile scoffed, grinning. "We did… let's get out of here before that Pidgey comes busting through—it's still not going to be very happy. And," He looked down to Caterpie, "Your Mom's been worried sick over you."

Caterpie shrunk slightly, glancing down towards the ground.

"_RAAAAWK!"_

David and Sobek looked at each other, "Pidgey!" They jumped down as the brown blur blasted out of the Dungeon. It crashed straight into the wall, with a sickening thud, slowly sliding down it.

David winced, "Ouch." He sat back up and glanced to Sobek, "Leave it?"

"It's definitely not going anywhere, and those Sunkern ain't makin' it up that hill anytime soon," Sobek shrugged. "Alright kid, let's get you back to your mum." Back to David, "I say we get away from this place."

"Yeah, give me a moment, I'll catch up in a few seconds."

"What's wrong?" Caterpie spoke up.

"He's had rough day," Sobek said, motioning for Caterpie to move ahead of him. "He just needs a minute to sit." He looked to David, "but if you're not caught up by then I'm not coming back for you."

The two disappeared around the corner and David slumped against the wall, sighing quietly and closing his eyes, if only for a second. Rolling his head and wincing as his neck cracked a few times, he lolled it onto his shoulder and looked at the Pidgey next to him.

He was half expecting to see its beak broken, but seeing that it was lying on its back, he guessed it tried to stop and slammed into it chest-first. It was definitely unconscious and probably had a massive bruise under all those feathers.

David stood up, slowly this time, pushing off against the wall and into the half-crouched stance, gently rocking back and forth on his feet as he stood. Breathing in, he stretched his back, then his tail.

…right, the tail.

He looked back at it. He moved it right. He moved it left. Up. Down. Next to him to pull off what little remained of that string shot the Wurmple had tagged him with.

It felt… awkward and clumsy. But he managed to pull of that tail whip back there. …maybe Sobek was right, maybe he's just thinking about it too much.

He reached down to pull off the silk only to realize that he still had that Oran Berry they found in the Dungeon. He had been holding onto it for dear life for that entire mad dash through the dungeon. Granted, his claws had dug into the skin and it was leaking juices slightly, but it was still a berry and still in his hand.

He looked back to the Pidgey. It shook slightly each time it breathed, clearly hurting from its impact with the wall.

"Hey, Dave?" Sobek's voice echoed down. "Ya still there?"

David glanced between the tunnel and the Pidgey and the berry.

"…yeah, I'm coming."

David ran down the fissure corridor, biting into the berry and quickly finishing it off before Sobek and Caterpie entered his view.

He needed it far more than that Pidgey did.

* * *

**So Sunkerns are the weakest Pokemon, period. Still, if you're not careful, they can really drain your health fast if you're weak to them since all they know is Absorb (bar the default attack).**

**In my playthough, I strangely didn't run into any Exeggcute during this bit (they appear on floor B3). Instead, I found four Sunkerns throughout the dungeon, with two in the same room. Lacking any real positioning against them and not wanting another to appear, I ran. I also remembered that, as a Cubone, they did like ten damage. Meaning, between the two of them, they could KO one of us if I got really unlucky.**

**Besides, it's easier to train in the next dungeon as Cubone and Totodile than it is to do so here.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	5. Step 4: Don't Rest Until Safe

Step Four

Don't Rest Until Safe

It was late afternoon by the time David crawled out of the fissure, the orange sunlight filtering down through the trees and onto the half-beaten path. Sobek was busy collecting a few dead branches and driving them into the ground around the fissure as markers.

"There," he said, stepping back. "Kinda hard to miss now, huh?"

David tilted his head, "…didn't you say kids sneak out to this place to fight the wilds? Doesn't this just scream out, 'Hey! Look at this!' and then they get lost in the dungeon."

Sobek blinked for a second before his face fell, glaring at David, "Kids are kids." He started off.

"Right," David shook his head and caught up, Caterpie creeping alongside him. "So it seemed to be noon back in the dungeon? …if we went back in at night, would the not-sun be out?"

"No clue," Sobek shrugged, "rule-of-thumb is not to go into dungeons at night. Weird stuff happens then."

"Such as…?" David lead on. Sobek sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Oh, come on, Sobek. You dragged me through some sort of magical-cursed place of weird after—it's an honest question!"

"You guys aren't…?" Caterpie started, then faded as David looked down to him. He only met David's eyes for a second before glancing away.

Sobek shook his head, "Your mother thought we were and, well—oh, she's coming to us…" His voice cracked into a whimper and he and David unconsciously took several steps backwards as Butterfree blurred towards them between the trees.

The two flinched, bracing for anything she could say at them. But she immediately landed, holding her child to her with a wing and only sobbed gratitude towards the two. Caterpie was quiet, tearing up himself with eyes closed, silent.

David sighed quietly, acknowledging Sobek's nod with one of his own. He noted Sobek was edging away and silently agreed that leaving now was probably the best thing to do.

Subtly, they turned and stepped away—Butterfree cut them off.

"Oh!" She said through her tears, "Oh, no! I can't let you leave without me thanking you!"

"Uh, that's okay, ma'am," Sobek said quickly, voice still a little squeaky. He cleared his throat, "It's good to see you back with your son. We, uh—there's really no need for a reward."

"Nonsense! You saved my precious baby. Even if I don't have anything that thanks you nearly enough but… Ah! Here! Take this," She handed Sobek a small pouch. "A few of the berries we were collecting before this horrendous accident. It is the least I can give."

"Uh, thank you," Sobek said, slowly setting the pouch down next to him. "It was just great to find him unharm—"

Butterfree's attention snapped to her son, "Have you thanked these brave two Pokemon for rescuing—" She cut herself off, head snapping up, "Oh! I almost forgot, may I ask your names?"

David and Sobek exchanged unsure glances.

Sobek hesitated a moment too long, David spoke first, "I'm, uh… I'm David. This is Sobek."

"Thank you David and Sobek," Caterpie looked up to the David with wide eyes, still shivering from his experience in the dungeon. The tears were still in his eyes, and between them and the attentiveness of his antennae and how tall Caterpie was trying to stand, David guessed it was admiration. …and that made him a bit uncomfortable.

…still, he'd rescued a defenseless Caterpie from some fissure with some sort of identity disorder minutes after awakening with memory loss.

"Yes, you two are heroes today!" Butterfree added on, patting her child on the head.

Heroes… that felt about right. Somehow.

Huh.

David shrugged bashfully, "Well—" He cut himself off as Butterfree's eyes sparkled again.

"Oh, David! That reminds me! In your rush, you had forgotten your club! It was too heavy for me to carry myself but it should still be right where you left it. I pushed it under a nearby bush, just in case." Her head tilted. "I must say, I've never heard of a Cubone charging into battle without his club before."

"Ah, well…" David started, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's—it's like Sobek said. Grass types, don't like them, can't really club them." He shrugged dismissively, "It's a tactical choice; speed was an issue and I can run a little bit faster without it. But you're right; my brother would have my helmet if I left it behind again."

"You have a brother?" Butterfree more jabbed than asked. Sobek tossed him a quizzical glare.

"I'm—_he's_ on an adventure right now. Well, technically we both are. Nevermind, it's a bit odd and hard to explain."

"Hmm, well I hope he's doing as well as you are then, David," Butterfree smiled, her eyes losing most of her franticness with the gesture. "But we must be off now. Thank you and farewell! Say goodbye!"

There was a solid four seconds of hesitation from Caterpie, still looking up to the two with large, teary eyes. "…thank you. G-goodbye…." With that, the two turned and headed on their way down the path.

"No-no. Wait. …wait..." Sobek breathed quietly. "Wait for it…." The two disappeared around a bend. "And they're gone." Sobek sighed, groaning as he collapsed onto the ground. He shook his head. "That was way too much of a hassle for just three berries. Yeah, we saved the kid, but you're right, David. That Butterfree is a few eggs short of an Exeggcute." He looked up, "Did you make up that bit about your brother or are you remembering something?"

"I made it up," David said, then laughed. "I panicked… was it obvious?"

"No-no, you sold it. Just… don't let it come back to bite you."

David blinked, "…sure." He looked around, "…do you remember where I woke up? I… I kinda would like my club back."

"Sure, sure, no prob," Sobek nodded, hopping back up and pointing through the trees. "We're actually closer than you'd think. Come on."

Sobek took the lead this time, David following him silently through the trees. He paused in one of the clearings, sighing softly in the warmth of the real sun. It didn't exactly energize him, but if he closed his eyes and stood there, just listening to the soft wind and the songs of the bird Pokemon in the area—the warbling tune with the occasional half-word that he had woken up to. Then, if only for a moment, he felt the weight of everything that had happened over the last few hours lift off his shoulders.

It felt almost like he wasn't a Cubone, almost like he wasn't really anything. …just that he just _was_.

At least until Sobek butted into the illusion, "Feel the difference between the real one and the fake?"

"What?"

"The sun," Sobek clarified. "The real one feels just a _little_ different than the fake one of the dungeon. It's always a good idea to know that feeling by heart. Sometimes you think you're out of a dungeon, but you're really not. If there's a sun, it's a way to check it."

David grumbled, "I don't plan on going back into any Mystery Dungeon, Sobek." He scoffed. "I've had my fill, thank you very much."

"Mmmm," Sobek shrugged. He swatted David on the shoulder, "Come on, you can sun yourself when you get your club." He hesitated for a second before heading off. "The silk's dried, it'll crumble off your helmet easily when you get around to it." David reluctantly followed. They passed through a few bushes, Sobek nearly tripping out of the last as his foot found the club. "Found it." He picked it up and passed it to David.

David looked it over. It was a femur of a larger Pokemon, like all Cubones' clubs. One end had been worn down to a blunt point while the other had the knobby bit of the joint on it. Sobek watched carefully as David passed it between his hands, trying to get a feel for it as well as finding the best spot to hold it.

After few tosses up in the air and a few clumsy catches, he shouldered it and laughed slightly. "Okay, thanks. Thanks a lot."

"Feel a bit better with it now?"

"I'm not sure what I feel," David sighed, "Just that I'm really tired."

Sobek scoffed, but grinned, "Rough day." He glanced away, frowning. "…hey, David. You don't actually have a place to stay, do you? Yeah, stupid question. Follow me."

David hesitated, more to shift his club than anything else, "Uh, where to?"

"You'll see," Sobek half-smirked over his shoulder, "Don't worry, it's not that far. It took us longer to find the ravine than it would to get there from here."

"…isn't there someone we should tell about the big hole of crazy in the middle of the woods, anyway?"

"Ah, right…." Sobek flinched. "I'll take care of it, don't worry." He seethed quietly.

David frowned, trying to read Sobek's face but failing, "Um…?"

"Don't worry about it, David. …I guess I was heading in that direction anyway."

"…so there _is_ someone to tell about all this?"

Sobek shrugged, pushing through the grass as it grew higher around them. David followed slowly, glancing around. A few wild Pokemon wandered about. A few Weedle and Wurmple on the trees, a Pidgey somewhere up in the higher branches sang its warbley song. Rooted in a clearing on their left, a small grove of Bellsprout spread their leaves in the afternoon sun, one uprooting itself to move out of the shade.

Sobek noticed how long David looked at them, "Don't worry about the wilds out here, they don't attack unless you tick them off. …but yeah, I just need to stick a notice on the town's bulletin board."

"A town?" David tilted his head, "Is that where we're headed?"

"Uh, no," Sobek said, a little too quickly. "No, we're not headed to the Square. Nearby, but not to it. I said I'll handle the notice thing. Don't worry about it."

The trees were thinning, but that only made things a bit harder due to more and more shrubs growing in the way of the two. In one, a Silcoon woke when David pushed a branch away, one eye opening before promptly shutting, the silk taking on a brighter sheen.

"Relax, you just spooked it," Sobek sighed, pulling David away. "Besides, we're here."

David turned to find himself on a forgotten pathway that forked off to their left. As they walked towards the fork, he noticed pavestones set in the ground. Old, cracked, and surrounded with smaller stones that had been worn and broken by time. Little shoots of grass and shrubbery poked through where they could.

The fork was actually a T-intersection, with the path he was on being the stem and the one running perpendicular the cap. More pavestones, larger ones this time, marched by stock-still to the right, disappearing downhill and around a bend, while the stragglers on the left were smaller and less in-tact, abandoned in the battle against grass and time as the path faded. A similar fate was met on the branch they had emerged out of.

This was once a road. Not a large one, but an important one. And it was still used, if only occasionally. There was an extreme lack of shrubs on the path, the stones didn't have that much moss on them and the grass wasn't that tall. Shorter still on the path they had arrived on. So the road came in from the right and immediately took a hard left for a while, then left the traveler on their own.

…but where was it going to? The pavestones more-or-less stopped right at the base of the intersection, right at the fork. This road wasn't built to _go_ somewhere; it was built to _come here_. The fork was only secondary.

So what was here? There wasn't anything along _any_ of the three roads, just a clearing in front of them, right at the root of the intersection, short rocks jutting out of the ground with a gap right in front of them, a very small path, then a stony hill in the center….

"…oh, you are kidding," David blinked, a slow grin spreading over his face. He glanced to Sobek, then stepped through the opening—the rocks were a fence, that hill is a house.

The clearing was covered here-and-there with encampments of knee-high grass, but the dirt was too stony for anything larger to take root besides a few low bushes and the ivy that was climbing the house. A rather earthen house, the walls were rock and the dirt that held it all together was crumbling adobe, which the ivy dug and clawed away at. The path lead directly into the adobe, but it was a darker brown than the rest with several half-dug holes into it. A few other darker patches spotted the house, and, almost triumphantly, a small flower had somehow made its way to the roof, the little scout's small red petals bobbing in the light breeze.

"You like it?" Sobek called forward, leaning against the fence.

David laughed, glancing back, a wide smile on his face, eyes sparkling, "Ah. Yeah. Actually. This is pretty neat." He paced to the side, the fence had once encircled the entire clearing, but some of the stones were now missing and the shrubbery was making an effort to invade the stronghold. There didn't seem to be a way into the house itself, though.

David froze for an instant, "Wait, who owns this place?"

"You, I guess. If you want it," Sobek shrugged whimsically as he met David at the front of the house. "For real? I don't think anyone really owns it. I mean, really, follow the road and you'll hit the Square in a half-hour even when you're not trying, but I've never seen anyone around up here." He shrugged, this time shaking his head, confused. "It's the larger wilds that like to use the path. Anyway, give me your club for a second."

David shied away, holding his club protectively, "Why?"

Sobek's narrowed his eyes. "Because I showed you this place so you can sleep outside," He said flatly. He sighed, "…the pointy end, use it to make an opening in the mud here."

"Oh." David blinked, glancing between his club and the wall before taking a stance in front of it. Gripping the club with two hands, he pulled back over his shoulder—"You know it, what if they sealed this because there's something really bad—"

"Yeah, let's seal the evil spirits in a house made of rocks an easy walk away from town. That'll hold it for all eternity."

David looked over his shoulder, then laughed, "Yeah, that's kinda silly, isn't it? Alright…." He took the stance again, drawing back the club over his shoulder, then stabbed the wall with all his might.

"…well? Any luck."

David pulled back, the club digging out a little dent. "…adobe's a bit tougher than I thought it was."

"A-do-wha?"

"Adobe," David kicked the wall, "That's what that stuff is."

"…I thought you couldn't remember anything," Sobek said carefully.

David blinked, then tilting his head and rubbing his jaw in thought. "...huh. …well, I remember how to talk, right? I know what I am, I know what you are. How did I remember those?"

Sobek rolled his eyes, "Okay, point. So what _is_ adobe?"

"I don't know, I just know that stuff is adobe," David scoffed, glaring at the wall. "I mean, dried mud isn't that strong, I know that much."

"_How_? No, seriously. How do you know? Is this like an on-sight thing? But then back in the dungeon, you said I was acting like a Tauros would pop out. …David, how do you know if you don't remember anything?"

David blinked, this time more startled. "I don't know," He laughed, shaking his head. "Wow, how does this amnesia thing really work?" He shook his head and sighed, looking up with tired eyes. "Sobek, I swear, I can't remember anything. At least nothing about me. But… I dunno. I don't know, these random things pop into my head for a split-second…." He shrugged heavily and looked over the sealed door again. "Okay, I've got an idea."

Taking his club in hand again, he lined it up with one of the half-dug holes at the bottom of the wall and struck it a few times. Sobek glanced away, lost in thought, frowning.

On the seventh swing, David lost his balance as the club found the other side. "Ha-ha! Got it! Okay now to widen it enough to get in…." He frowned and glared at the rest of the adobe above him. "…this is going to take a while to clear out. And then there are all the windows…." He sighed. "I guess it's a fixer-upper." He met Sobek's questioning glare. "What?" Sobek shook his head apologetically and looked away. David sighed quietly and chipped away at the hole.

After a minute, "Hey, Sobek. Thanks."

"Don't mention it, any—" Sobek cut himself off. He sighed, then looked back to David. "No, not anyone would do that."

"Yeah—with me thinking I was human, that's why I want to thank you." David snorted. "Sorry. Dust. …I really just want to know why I thought that."

"Do you still think you're human?"

David shook his head, "It doesn't make sense. I mean, if anything, I'm a Cubone." He tapped his helmet and held up the club. "Where did this and this come from? I mean, one's a skull, the other's a fe—" he scooted back as the dirt around the hole collapsed. He and Sobek exchanged glances.

"Hit it with the knobby end," Sobek said, reaching for the club. "Maybe the rest will collapse."

"I don't want it to completely collapse, I just need a hole big enough to get in there," David said quickly, leaning away from Sobek and keeping him at a distance with a foot. "Deal with it tomorrow. Find something to use as a door."

Sobek sat back up straight and blinked, frowning. "A _door_." He repeated silently when David looked away. He shook his head. David pried more of the wall off and cleared it as it collapsed.

The Cubone peered inside, laughing slightly. He pulled back and sneezed, "Air's a little stale and there are a few holes in the roof, but it's completely untouched in there." He grinned at Sobek, clearly excited, and then dived through the gap, squirming a little before he popped through.

Illuminating by the sunlight fighting through the cracks, it was a single room with a mostly earthen floor, save several large, worn-smooth stones in the ground. A single rock sat in the light to the side, almost as tall as David and sprouting the solitary plant life in the room, little green infiltrators. A large slab of stone sat in the far back of the room. And that was it.

David giggled and stuck his nose out the hole, "Sobek, ya gotta see this!"

"I'm good," Sobek sighed. "I've a strict one-cave-a-day limit."

"But it's so cool!"

"But there's nothing in there!" the Totodile wined and held a pained expression for a second before his face cracked into a laugh. "You like it then?"

David squeezed back outside, "You have no idea! _Why_ did they seal this up?" He started to pace around it again.

Sobek took a breath, then swallowed it and let David take a lap around the house. Somehow, this little hole in the ground had lifted the Cubone's spirits to the point where he was genuinely happy. …or it was just a distraction. Either way… this was the first time Sobek had seen David not in a gloomy state.

"…hey," Sobek finally said. "I'll leave you the berries, I'm gonna knock off for the night. You gonna be alright?"

"Well, I'm going to see if I can open one of the windows, maybe two, for some air circulation—oh. Yeah. Yeah!" he beamed. "I'm good." He sighed, and looked up to his house, then double-taked as Sobek nodded and walked off. He caught up. "Sobek! …you're going to be around, right?"

"I'm gonna swing by in the morning," Sobek said in mock-chide, then grinned. "I figure you're going to need a bit of help getting situated—don't you rope me into fixing this place. Cubones obsess over this sort of thing. Even if you can't remember, it's obvious you're no different."

"Well… thanks again, Sobek," David held out his free hand. "Even with you dragging me to the hole of crazy, it was almost fun."

Sobek tilted his head, looking at the hand, "Almost?"

"Well, you also almost got me killed by Sunkern zombies… …shake hands? …that's a thing right?"

"Shake—" Sobek blinked in revelation. "Oh! Yeah, that." He shook David's. "Yeah, that's a thing. …not exactly a common one around here. But yeah, it's a thing."

David sighed, "You scared me there for a second."

"Why?"

"Well… nevermind," David shrugged. "See ya tomorrow then."

"Tomorrow," Sobek nodded and turned, walking down the straight-away path.

David turned back to his house, grinning slightly, "So, this place is mine now." His grin faded, "…Sobek's right, I have walls, but no furniture. …I think that big rock was the bed. I don't really like the idea of sleeping on hard rock." His shoulders slumped. "Hokay then…. Bedding. Warmth. Fire. …homeownership." He shrugged and walked back up the path, then stopped halfway there.

He looked around. Sobek had disappeared into the forest. The clearing was empty save him and the satchel of berries next to the house. There weren't even any wilds around.

David set his club down and took off the skull, pointing the nose at him and looking it over. The average Cubone skull—but what does that mean? What exactly does 'average' mean? He pulled off the last remnants of silk; it all crumbled away, just like Sobek said it would. With a hand he rubbed his eyes, then his nose before looking to the sky and finding the sun low in it.

Closing his eyes, he soaked in the sunshine and he faded away, if only for a few minutes, until a cloud covered his new home in shade.

* * *

**To me, it was always a little strange that there was a perfectly livable house for the player to occupy. I mean, the Cubone's house even has a bowl of berries or apples right on a table the moment you walk in. There's even a flag outside! Why is it move-in ready? Who exactly owns the property?**

**Or... was the partner keeping it perfectly in shape just in case for exactly a scenario such as the player? If that's truly the case, then the partner has far more issues than David or Sobek.**

**Whatever the case, David has to work to spiff up the place.**

**This chapter also marks the end of the first part of the story. Stay tuned for a short intermission chapter to be posted a few days after this one.**

**And as always, thanks for reading!**


	6. intermission i: In Case Of Disaster

intermission i

"Did it go well?"

This far from the Guild's city, there was only a waning crescent of a moon to illuminate the beach and only the waves to muffle their voices. Sobek slung the pack to the sand, reaching under the flap and pulled out a small, winged badge to show the Pelipper, "Last shot. …Pete, you're not going to stop me, are you?"

"I was honestly hoping the Guild would," Pete said plainly. "If they're giving you one more chance, then so be it."

"I didn't ask if they would stop me," Sobek shouldered he bag again, the badge back inside, "I asked if _you_ would. And you could, if you wanted to. Could have lifted off and left me here."

"I'm just a messenger. I don't judge, merely deliver," Pete ruffled his wings. "Now, hop on; we'll make it by morning with the favoring winds, if only just. Maybe not."

"Right," Sobek nodded and climbed onto the back of the albatross. "Glad to see you haven't changed."

"I'm sorry to see you haven't…."

"Sobek. I go by Sobek now."

"…Sobek, then." Pete stretched his wings and, with three hops, took off into the night sky, flying west.

"You just said you didn't judge," Sobek scoffed.

"I don't. I merely have opinions and my job is not to voice them often. …in this case, it is that I really do wish you would understand what your fate ultimately is."

"Yeah? Well, I'm sorry if—"

"Do _not_ speak his name!" Pete snapped, almost snapping to a stall. Sobek fell harshly into the bird's back, Pete's equivalent of a slap. "You're upon my back. I am not above dropping you."

Sobek frowned, rubbing his nose, "I take that back, you have changed since the last time."

"My apologies if this is the fifth trip you've asked me in as many years."

"You still agreed to it."

"If only for your mother's sake. And even then, it's only on the slim chance of correcting her legacy."

"Because my father wasn't as—right! Right! Don't even mention him! Geez!" Sobek scowled. "…I'm surprised you're not asking how I got the guild to agree with me this time."

"I only assume it's out of pity they granted you permission to lead another team."

"I'm not leading the team, my partner is. The Guild's terms, sure, but when it comes down to it, he's decent."

Pete faltered for a moment, "...you're going against your Teachings."

"I stopped following them after I lost my second team, Pete!" Sobek snapped, kicking the bird. "When will you reali— …is that _really_ what you've been doing all this time? Ferrying me to the Guild and back, always thinking that every time I was still swallowed up in the Teachings' dogma? Oh, wait. You're just a messenger. You don't ask why, you just deliver, no matter what. I thought that, because you were part of my mother's team, you would at least keep an eye on me! But no. No."

Sobek's rage dissipated in a fatigued sigh, "Pete…. …after… after Cindi I gave up. Okay? …I honestly gave up. …and she was two years ago, not one, Pete. Two years… then one per for the last four.

"I almost went irrational afterwards… walk into a Dungeon and not bother to walk out." Sobek scoffed. "Turns out I'm not lucky enough for the curse to consume me. Figures. …I didn't want to form another team, Pete. I really, really didn't."

"So why did you?" Pete bluntly asked.

Sobek glowered for a second , then shook his head. "You still don't believe me, do you? ...you can still keep a secret. Right, Pete?"

"As a messenger, I hold more than you'll ever know."

"Right…." Sobek braced himself, "I did it to protect my partner. He's—"

"With how sudden you came to me, I can only assume you met her—him today," Pete interrupted, voice bland, but impatient. "How can you be so sure so soon?"

"Pete, he has the amnesia, but he still came up with a battle strategy on the fly. Plus, he's a Cubone, but doesn't fight like any Cubone I've seen. Also, how many Cubones take off their skulls every five minutes? Probably as many Cyndaquil that panic over their own flames. And if that doesn't sell it, he shook hands with me. He's human. I'm dead sure of it."

"And you're truly not following the Teachings anymore…." Pete sighed, shaking his head slightly, "This is risky, Sobek. After everything _he_ did to the Guild's perceptions… if they finds out…."

"I'm hiding him right under their noses, that's the entire point. 'sides, I've convinced him that he isn't really human. …it was almost a bit too easy-I honestly didn't think he'd drop it so fast."

"…I trust your judgment then."

Sobek scoffed, "There's a first."

"Don't hide the truth from him too long though," Pete said tiredly. "He needs to know who he really is. I shouldn't need to remind you that true Prophets always come here for a reason."

"I know. I'll get there when I get there. …right now… he doesn't actually… know that I've done this—that there's paperwork saying he's officially leading a Rescue Team."

"Not again."

"I know! I know! I only did it once and I told you—I left that behind!"

"So long as you are aware. Though founding a team means you have a base of operations…."

"It's the Square's old office."

Finally, an honest-to-Arceus reaction: Pete's wings locked and they coasted down, eyes shocked open in a wild panic, thoughts racing through his head. What the place was, what happened there, what it would ultimately mean for the two down the road... He recomposed himself. "Oh, no."

"I told you, Pete," Sobek chided, satisfied that he finally got a reaction out of Pete. The Totodile sat back, looking up at the stars, "I'm not my father's little pawn anymore; I'm not walking in his footsteps. I'm not looking for him this time. I'm not even trying to make a mark on the world. And, just to make this clear, _I'm not trying to indoctrinate anyone_. The entire point of this team, whether he knows it or not, is to keep him alive!"

"He certainly will be the first."

* * *

_Alright, everybody here? Good! _

_Now! Let me say this first off: no one here doubt your skills and talents—none of you would be here otherwise! But, for your accreditation and general upkeep, this is a mandatory refresher. If you just got your little paper two months ago? If you've been doing this for ten years? Suck it up, this includes you. If I see any of you trying to sneak out—you'll be wishing for an earthquake to strike, you all hear me!?_

_Good! This will be quick and to the point! Ahem!_

_When in emergencies, the single greatest and most important resource available to you is yourself. You all hear me? Each and every single one of you is trained to handle these situations! The average Joe Shmoe isn't! If you're injured, if you're wounded; then you're in no shape to aid in any way, shape, or form! You stabilize yourself, and you get the hell outta there._

_You, four back, six to the right. You gonna ask what to do if you meet wounded along the way? Yeah, there's always one in every group—that's what you've been trained in! It's your call! I'm reading off a sheet!_

_Two from the back, first on the right. What's your deal? ...you're one of the new guys, aren't you? Okay. Hands up, how many of you have been in an actual incident? Hmm. Alright, keep those hands up if you're a newbie._

_One or two. Oh! Three! Not bad. Not bad at all. …you and you and you, stand up—and you Wise Guy. Alright you four, sit down if this applies to you. The rest of you, get ready for some dancing here._

_You just… happened to be there were there when disaster struck. One sits down. Stand back up, lass._

_You ran into the proverbial fire to rescue a specific individual or individuals or item. Yes, Pokemon count. Two sit down. Two and a Growlithe! Glad to see Lassie went down the well for once! Everyone up, Growlithe back in the Pokeball._

_You aided the injured to safety. Three down._

_You remained uninjured for the entirety of the disaster. …oh? No one is sitting down. Lemme see hands! Who manages to get out without a scratch—oh, ha. Ha. you're all a complete laugh. Nerds in front of the monitors don't count—you lot do good work, don't let them tell you otherwise._

_Alright. I want hands again, how many of you were injured to the point of needing extraction yourself? How many of you were injured within the first hour? Half hour? Ten minutes? Injured in the very second it happened? There's no shame, you're not the one reading a paper in front of fifty specialists. Let me see those hands. …see this Wise Guy? This is why I get this through your heads first-off. Each and every single one of you is a major investment in the safety of the public when things go horribly wrong._

_Each and every single one of you can make decisions that the ordinary citizen can't handle. The hard decisions. Save the cheerleader—or the whatever you prefer, ladies—or keep the five with you alive? Can you make those decisions in a concise and rational matter when you're loosing blood? Have a compound fracture? Or have a sudden case of death due to, but not limited to, anything previously mentioned? Well?_

_Only when you're absolutely certain that you can continue on with whatever scratch you got, then you start thinking about your attack plan. Of _**_course_**_ you make sure the area's safe! I don't need to tell you that! Unless you think it's a good idea to do triage in a collapsing building!_

_And you three don't count, I don't care how you pulled it off._

_Thank you, you four. Sit._

_So. You take in your surroundings. If you were on-site, you ensure your own safety, you ensure your own well-being. If you're healthy, you help the effort. If you can't do jack, you don't go headlong into it! You get out! You get out and you don't stop until you're safe!_

_And this goes for anyone you pull out too, so I'll say it again._

_You don't act until you're certain. You don't move them or yourself until stable. You do __not__ seek or put whoever you rescue in further endangerment when you have injured. You don't stop until you are in a secure. Safe. Area. Only then do you start setting up shop and bunker down, lick wounds, and do what you guys do best. Keep yourself and others alive._

_But! Above all, you put yourself over everyone else. It seems harsh. It seems inhumane. It might go against your better nature and training. It's orders from the big guy in the spinny chair upstairs, and spinny chair doesn't want to lose any of you out there._

_All-in-all. You all remember your basic first aid courses…? Leadership…? Dealing with physical shock…? Emotional shock…? Rampaging Pokemon…? Well then, any other questions?_

_Good enough for me. Just remember: we're not soldiers. We're citizens in the right place, at the right time. And, ultimately... the choice is up to you and you alone. This is all policy, and policy sometimes just can't hold up to what really happens out there._

_We're done here. Dismissed._

* * *

End Part I

In Case Of Disaster

* * *

**For those unfamiliar with Cubone's moveset, they don't learn Bone Club until level 9 in Gen III (lvl 7 in later generations). You usually get two-to-three levels Tiny Woods, depending on the spawns, but don't get hit 9 until the next dungeon, Thunderwave Cave. Maybe Mt. Steel if you're unlucky or rush.**

**This is why David doesn't have his club. It was easier to get rid of it for a few chapters than to have and make the effort to ignore it. It also means David has something new to fidget with for the next bit.**

**Anyway, now that everything's set up, things should hopefully move a bit faster. I aim to get through Mt. Steel relatively quickly, so the story can actually live up to its Nuzlocke byline. (You can recruit after Mt. Steel, meaning actual risk enters the gameplay)**

**Thanks for reading and leave a comment if you can.**


	7. Step 5: Sometimes You Have No Choice

Step 5

Sometimes You Have No Choice

It was a harpy's song that woke him. A screeching noise that sounded through the small windows he made last night and reverberated off the walls and then again off the inside of his helmet, and then again in his skull. A harsh string of notes that sounded less like a song and more of a small creature in desperate search for its head.

Now he knew why Sobek disliked Pidgeys so much….

Blearily, David pushed himself up, grumbling as he pushed up his helmet to rub his eyes. He froze before pulling his hands away, studying them for a long second. He slumped and sighed.

Brushing off a few loose leaves from his arms and back, he grabbed his club and took stock of the interior.

Not that it changed that much since last night. All he really managed to do last night was find a nice, soft bush and pillage it for its branches before knocking out small holes on opposite sides of the house to get some sort of air flow going.

Yesterday's dinner was one of Butterfree's berries—a pecha, if he was right. Today's breakfast will be the other one in the bag. Save the sole oran for when he needed it, and he wasn't entirely sure on what the fourth was. Then again, with that Pidgey he might need that oran after all….

Time. What time was it? Early, probably. He could feel the faint draft against the stale air of the house and it smelt of morning dew. Very early then.

Exactly when was Sobek supposed to get here again? …maybe more noon-ish? That's probably enough time to widen the western window, then the sunset could shine directly into the house and he wouldn't have to stand outside to feel it. He could work on the eastern window while bathing in the sunset. Maybe even enough time to figure out where a few of the cracks in the ceiling were. Had to fix those before it rained. With all the excess adobe mud he's breaking off, he could repurpose that into sealing the leaks. …at least he thought it would work.

It does rain here, right?

Why _wouldn't_ it rain? There are clouds right? Get a big enough cloud and it rains. That's how it works.

…right?

Window. Roof. Sobek. Yeah, there should be enough time for that.

Holding the berry in his mouth, he pushed aside the dirt he had shoved in front of the entry and wiggled through it. The air was crisp and clean, invigorating after being inside. The morning mist had settled and the dew sparkled in the sun as it poked over and through the tree tops.

Taking the berry in one hand and club in another, he stretched, wincing as his back cracked a little, flinching as his tail did a lot.

"Right. Bed is too much rock, not enough leaves. Noted," He winced again as he realized how sore he was. His tail especially, after waking up sleeping on it. "Still, wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be. …maybe some of the tall grass would work better…." He glanced at the closest patch on the other side of his fence, whining slightly, "I'll wait for Sobek on that one. …it might be dangerous to wander into tall grass on my own…."

In the meantime, pecha berry. Not like an oran berry—it has a pit in the middle, found that out the hard way. Split it down the middle, pull out the pit, enjoy.

Shaking out his legs, he tossed the pit away and bit into the flesh of the berry.

"Nnngh…."

David spun, hopping away. He scowled, "Sobek. …Sobek? Are… you asleep?"

He cautiously approached the little crocodile. Sobek sat against the house, eyes closes, tail curled around him, far enough to the right of the entry for David to miss him coming out. Aside from his nose twitching, probably where the pit hit him, he was completely still. He was holding a cloth rutsack in his arms, something new from yesterday.

"And… you're completely zonked out," David rolled his eyes before taking another bite of the berry. He glanced at the cloudless sky, admiring the deep blue. "Maybe it's later than I thought…?" He shrugged, rolling his neck. "Eh, whatever. He let me sleep when he got here, I guess I can let him snooze. Not like I'm going any…" A large shadow flitted over the grass in front of him, arcing back around the house, then over again, "…where….?"

It took him a moment to look up to see a Pelipper circling around above, gliding down and down, ultimately landing on the ground just outside the fence, looking through the gate at David with a blank expression in its eyes.

David blinked, rooted still.

…was it a wild? It was rather far inland for a wild seabird. Then again, he wouldn't know where the sea was so that doesn't really mean anything. Then again, it had a pack on its side. Slim chance a wild would have one of those.

…was this its roost? Doubtful. Unless it nests on the roof of the place. But that would have trampled that flower up there, so that wasn't it.

…did it own actually own this land…?

Its beak went to the pack on its side and, after some fishing inside, pulled out an envelope and looked back to David. It didn't move, eyes still empty.

"…it's a mailman?" David said quietly in realization. "Not exactly a messenger Taillow, are you?" It stood there, looking at him, unmoving. "Oh. Right." He shook his head at himself and ran down the path. The bird's eyes were indifferent, but studied him as it lowered the envelope into David's hand.

David quickly looked it over—maybe papyrus than actual paper, but it was an envelope, the flap sealed with a bit of tree sap. …a… _blank_ envelope? Back up to the Pelipper, "…this… can't be for me. …is it?"

The albatross turned, taking a few steps and opening its wings.

"Hey-hey-hey-hey!" David bolted forward, ducking under the wings and cut it off, "At least tell me who sent it!"

The Pelipper's eyes glanced away and slowed. Expressionless, it turned to look back at the house. "Do you not know anything of that place?"

David glanced at the house before giving the bird an incredulous look. He planted the point of his club into the ground and leaned on it slightly.

"…depends," he nonchalantly started. "Just from looking around, it was important at one time. Not anymore, but not too long ago. There's nothing wrong with the house, seems structurally sound, probably wasn't abandoned due to that. Any damage it has is just weather damage from lack of upkeep. Ground's a bit gravely so it clearly wasn't a farm."

…are farms a thing here?

David shook his head at himself, "I've been told that only the wilds use these roads, but I found cart tracks down the other branch last night." David glanced to the bird, half-smirking at the odd look it was giving him. "My guess it was someone outside the town, since everyone there seems to avoid this place."

The Pelipper looked away, "Most have chosen forgotten about it."

"You landed on the road, not on the fence; so you clearly haven't. …and that alone says something." David mused, giving the mailman a few seconds to meet his eye. "Well?"

"You're… very observant." The mailman bluntly took off, circling upwards slightly before disappearing over the trees, back towards the town. David's face fell as he watched it, half glaring, half sighing.

"Sobek, what have you gotten me into?" he scowled, rolling his shoulders as he headed back to the house. Grumbling to himself, he shoved the other half of the berry in his maw before tearing open the envelope and fished out the letter inside.

He blinked, then lifted up his helmet, eyes narrowing at the lines.

He blinked, then rubbed his eyes before studying the letter closely. "…what. Sobek! Sobek! Sobek, wake up! Wake up!"

Red eyes bleared awake. "Swha…?"

David shoved the letter in front of them, "Read."

"What...?"

"Mail-Pelliper just dropped this off a minute ago."

That got him awake, "To here? To who?"

"I'm guessing the bright blue blob against the dark brown blob; from the air you probably stick out like a sore thumb. Read!"

"Okay! Okay!" Sobek scowled, rubbing his eyes before looking at the paper. "….okay…. 'We heard about you from the Duchess and how you aided her. Ergo, in her name and with her word, we enlist your help. A wave of energy pulsed through our dungeon, fusing two of our brethren together, but it is incomplete, not enough to form Magnetron. We employ your aid at Thunderwave Cave. Your discretion is appreciated on the matter.'"

"Read the first line again."

"'We heard about you from the Du—'"

"The one _before _that! Did they really spell out '_BZZZZZKRGZ_'?!" He held up the other half of his breakfast, "Or is this thing fermented?"

"It's the Magnemite 'hello'," Sobek said matter-of-factly, eyes skimming over the letter again. "There's one at the end as—wait you can read footprint runes?"

David shrugged at Sobek's shock, "Yeah, I was surprised too. Amnesia didn't take that away either."

Sobek slowly frowned, looking back down to the paper. "…have you ever heard of… nevermind."

"Next thing I was going to ask you," David sighed, stifling a laugh. His face fell serious and he sat down across from Sobek, "So the insane Butterfree yesterday is a _Duchess_? What."

Sobek frowned, "Um. What's a Duchess?"

David half-spoke, then swallowed his words. Frowning, he looked away to muse, speaking wordlessly to himself as he drew lines through the air. After a minute, "…I hear the word, and I think… Kings, Nobles, Knights, Castles. Counts. Dracula. With me?"

"Oh, oh! I get it, I get it!"

David sighed with a satisfied smile, then his face crashed with an epiphany, "Wait—why is the _amnesiac_ explaining something?"

"You have line-of-sight memory."

"Line-of-sight?"

"You see something, you hear something, you remember something. But not before," Sobek shrugged. "Thought I'd let you give it a try." He shook his head, "Besides, I've only been here a month or so."

"Nothing in town about a Duchess?"

"I, uh," Sobek glanced away, "I avoid the Square. It has…. There's something… I'm not much of a towns-Pokemon." He shook his head and looked back to David, "So a Duchess is someone important?"

"Okay, let me try it this way. We rescued a Duchette yesterday… Dukette… those aren't words—a _prince_ basically. The son of a ruling family… royalty…?" David nodded to himself, "Royalty."

The two blinked as a sudden looming sense of dread came over them. Sobek paling for a moment, David, a little longer.

"Uh, David?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"So… someone that important would have people serving them, right? I mean, they're like a leader of… of… of a Guild. Or a… member of the council of a Guild…."

David frowned slightly, "What's a Guild?"

"Guilds are—uh," He cleared his throat and picked up on a renewed tempo, "They oversee large groups of Rescue Teams. Rescue Teams basically do what we did yesterday and they report to a Guild for jobs and so on. David. …what concerns me is, 'We heard about you from the Duchess and how you aided her. Ergo, in her name and_ by her word_, we enlist your help.'" He looked up, seething, "…that's… not a request."

David choked, his face going white again. "Woah! Woah-no-no-no-no! I'm not—we are _not_ a Rescue Team!" he scooted away, "All I want to do is—is-is fix up this house, regain my memory, and live a nice, happy life. Okay? That's my goal. No more zombie Sunkerns. No more kamikaze Pidgeys. No more Mystery Dungeons!"

"But _she_ thought we were a team, David!" Sobek sighed, looking back to the letter. "And she's referred us to someone—"

"I don't care!" David shouted, leaping up, "That thing said 'dungeon.' I'm not going into one of those again! Not now! Not ever!" David stormed off.

Sobek shook his head, eyes darting over the letter over and over again. "…I don't think we have a choice in the matter."

"_What_!?" David roared, spinning his heel. "What do you mean 'we don't have a choice?! We have a choice! We're not a Team, we can say 'no!' I'm not going into another—wait, no!" he snapped his claws and pointed at the envelope, "There's no address on it—even if I am from this area, there is no _way_ for them to deliver stuff to me out here because _they don't know I'm here!_ That's not for _me_! That's not for _us_! And even if it is, it's for _you_!"

"David, if it came here, it's for us—let me explain!" Sobek sighed, rubbing his eyes as he stood up himself. "I had to go to the post office to register that dungeon we found yesterday. …I might have mentioned you were staying here—" David slammed his club to the ground, pacing off, fuming. Sobek sighed again, but nodded in understanding, "I didn't think that something like this would come in, David!"

David bit his lip and paced back. He snatched up his club and drummed his claws against the bone—then tossed it down again, throwing up his hands, "_DAAH!_" He huffed, shaking his head, eyes exasperated, "Not…! _Not_ your fault. Not mad at you. Trying not to, at least. Okay? Okay." He snorted and scowled to the sky, "I lost my memory, had some sort of mental breakdown, was threatened by a Butterfree, dragged through a dungeon where I almost got killed by _Sunkern_, and had a rough night sleeping. Nowhere along the way did I say. hey! I wanna do it again!" He sighed, hanging his head. "I am not going."

"David—"

"No! Seriously!" His eyes snapped to Sobek's, "There's _nothing_ on the envelope—nothing to say that this was really for us. Also, side note, what's royalty doing in the middle of the woods without some sort of guard?"

"It is just Tiny Woods."

"Not a guard for the wilds, Sobek!" David groaned, "A guard for whatever enemies a Duchess might have. And don't ask me who'd that be—I have no idea."

Sobek tilted his head, eyes narrowing in thought, "…that _is _a good point…." He shook his head and hopped up. "You really don't want to go."

"No!" David scoffed. "Listen, you just said that there are other rescue teams—can't you just pass it off to them and let them get them—wait, where are you going?!"

Sobek turned, "Thunderwave Cave."

David scoffed and rolled his eyes, "I figured!"

"You can stay, David," Sobek shrugged, heading back down the road.

David threw his hands up, "I _know_ I'm staying, why are _you_ going?!"

Sobek sighed harshly and faced the Cubone again, "…listen. David. I'm trying to give you some slack after everything yesterday. I really am. You're right. You didn't deserve to go through all of that and the timing of this is terrible."

Sobek held up the letter, voice growing stern, "But this is a _directed_ rescue request. It came to us, and only us. Even if by accident…" He bit his lip. "David, you just said so yourself; Butterfree's royalty—or at least we think so. This is basically a royal order. So… I'm going to Thunderwave Cave." He scoffed. "…shouldn't be that hard."

"Can't help but notice the word 'Thunder' is in the name," David butted in, voice flat. "You're a water-type."

"Well, you're a ground-type, maybe you should go?"

"I am not going. What I still don't understand is why you are."

Sobek sighed, "I'm pretty sure _not_ doing it means bad news for us, and if we pass it off…." He shook his head. "There are issues with that. The main one? We are not a Rescue Team. So what, exactly, are we doing with a Job Letter?"

"That's not our fault. I'm telling you, there's not even an address on the thing; we can just say it came to the wrong place!"

Sobek sighed, putting his face in his hands. "That's not how it works, David…! Look, I'm sorry I dragged you into this, okay? When I get back, I'll go and sort out this mess."

"Go sort it out now, then!"

Sobek frowned, his eyes glaring as he started fuming, "David, do you know how long it would take me to explain what's going on? Literally two days—and that's if I'm lucky! In the meantime, there are two Magnemite in the middle of a dungeon, stuck together, one 'mite short of being a 'ton. Meaning they can't even move. Remember yesterday when I said Caterpie believed the dungeon's walls would eat him?"

Sobek glared, foot tapping. David jumped for an answer, "Uh—you said it wasn't the walls?"

"Yes—no. I said that?" The Totodile frowned, glancing away, "...I _did_ say that—it's not _just_ the walls. It's the entire dungeon."

"Umm…?"

Sobek sighed, "Spend too long in a dungeon, and a few things happen. First, you starve to death, no surprise. But you go hungry far faster in a dungeon than normally. Magnemite don't need much food… I'm… not actually sure what they eat, but—"

"They don't, they recharge by resting against natural magnets. They literally run off magnetism, and they evolve when three gain enough of a charge that they can't handle themselves. Between the three of them, they create a magnetic sink that they orbit around and are linked through." David flinched, "…woah."

Sobek blinked, jaw dropped a little bit, "…sure?" He recomposed himself, shaking his head. "But see? Line-of-sight, David. Anyway.

"Second, the walls start moving. At first it's out of the corner of your eye, then the room you're in starts shrinking. You gotta keep moving, otherwise you get trapped. Survive that long? The air itself starts moving and there's a galestorm and there's no avoiding that other than leaving the area of a dungeon entirely.

"Get caught by either of them and, if you're lucky, you get tossed out of the dungeon. If you're not, you get stranded in there. You wake up, trapped in the dungeon, with no supplies. Maybe you find the exit, you most probably won't. That's where Rescue Teams go in. But if you don't get rescued… if you're lucky, you die. If not, you lose your mind and become something just above a wild Pokemon. An irrational.

"David," Sobek said carefully, eyes dropping to a glare. "Getting help, getting an actual Team to do this would be a waste of time, for us and what little time the Magnemite have left. And… with whatever you said, if three are needed to stabilize a Magnetron, what's going to happen to just two? Nothing good. I am going to Thunderwave Cave; you can work on your house. I'll see you later." He turned and marched down the path.

"And what if you get killed in there? What then?"

"David!" Sobek snapped over his shoulder. "It's a rescue operation—risk is part of the deal! We might not be a Rescue Team, but we're the only ones who can get there in time. They need help, and I'm not going to just sit and let Pokémon die when I can do something about it."

He huffed, taking several calming breathes as he waited for David to move. The Cubone stood still, eyes slowly clouding over before he snapped to and glanced away.

"Alright then," Sobek said finally. "I'll–."

"Wait," David sighed. Sobek glanced over his shoulder to see the Cubone walking back to the house. "…let me get the berry satchel."

Sobek hid a relived sigh, "You're coming?"

"Just this once," David insisted before he squeezed into the house. "Then we sort the mess out with Butterfree. Then no more dungeons."

"I vote for this plan," Sobek scoffed, grinning as David popped back outside with the small satchel. He opened his rutsack for David to drop the satchel in, then shouldered it again. He met David's eyes, the terror from yesterday was gone, replaced with frustration. "Ready?"

David rolled his shoulders, claws drumming on his club again, taking a minute to steel himself.

"No. Let's go."

* * *

**Concluding the thought of changing the story title from a few chapters back, I decided to just move the byline of this being a Nuzlocke story directly into the title. I might be adding more things to the To-Do list summary. Never know.**

**On a side note, I've been looking around and it seems someone's beaten me to the idea of a PMD Nuzlocke. Look up Gigi's Sky Nuzlocke. It uses a far more brutal rule set than I do (no reviver seeds, hero or partner goes down equals game over), but it's still highly enjoyable. And it's a comic.**

**Thanks for reading, and leave a comment if you can!**


	8. Step 6: When Others Do As They May

Step 6

When Others Do As They May

"Thunderwave Cave… Thunderwave Cave…."

"Don't tell me, it's not on the map."

"I made the map. It's on the—look. We're here," Sobek grumbled, angling the page for a moment for David to see and tapping the cross-section of lines that represented the intersection they had reached. The rest of the map was a crude sketch of unlabeled lines and circles. The largest circle was off in the opposite direction they came, ironically representing the Square, David guessed.

"…so where is it?"

"It's here..." Sobek pointed to several mountains on the top half of the map. "…ish."

"_Ish_?" David couldn't help but notice that the mountains were a fair deal away from them.

"I've only heard of it, okay?" Sobek sighed, folding the map and heading up the path on their right heading due north. David lingered for a second, looking back to burn the scenery into his memory.

The grasslands the roads ran through were actually an obscenely large clearing rather than an endless open space. From where they left, the forest dipped south for several miles before circling to the west and circled back just in front of the horizon, where it ran east until it disappeared beyond the curve of the earth.

A four-way intersection in the southern dogleg of the clearing, take the path in the worst state of repair, through the archway of trees, and home would be on the left. Okay.

Okay.

David sighed, turning around and stepping to the edge of the path, looking down the hill over the waving grasslands. …this looked like a great place to grow grain but he didn't see any. Or maybe it was for larger Pokemon to graze. But he didn't see any markings of a ranch—

"Oi! David! Come on! We… have a three hour walk there."

David's face fell and he slowly turned to Sobek, "…three _hours_?"

Sobek grimaced in agreement, "And three back."

David slumped, falling in step beside his friend, "That's six hours walking—if speed is really of the essence here, why don't they contact someone that isn't, oh, _nine_ miles away?!"

"Agreed," Sobek sighed, "Actual teams have better ways of getting around."

"Such means include?"

Sobek laughed, shaking his head, "You know, pretty sure the time'll pass faster if we don't talk about how slow we're going."

"We have _three hours_ to kill…" David moaned, again watching the grass dance in the wind. "Either way about it, it's a long time. …and I'm an amnesiac." He glanced to Sobek, shrugging whimsically. "Gotta know how to get around."

The Totodile scoffed, "Not sure where to start."

"What is the fastest or… money is a thing here, right?"

"Money is, unfortunately, a thing here," Sobek said with a sigh.

"Fastest and/or most expensive way to get around. Give me something to dream for one day."

"Well…" Sobek half-shrugged, "The fastest way is to just telepor'."

"Oh, come on, that's no fun—it's cheating." David grumbled. He glanced to Sobek, "Why don't we just do that?"

"Uugh… well…" Sobek stuck the map under his arm and counted off fingers, "First, it's expensive and the Abra that run it charge _per_ Pokemon. Guess how much dosh we have…. okay, I have _some_, but it's barely enough for an apple, let alone a telepor'.

"Second, you pay them to stick around or have them telepor' back at a certain time if you want a lift back. Either way, they charge for the return trip. Third, extra charges for injured and extremely long distances. Fourth, if you're not a team, rates are tripled—they're there for absolute emergencies, life-or-death stuff. But, most importantly, fifth." Sobek shuddered. "If a Pokemon can't do it, there's a reason they don't and shouldn't. You… _really_ don't want to be telepor'd. It feels… ugh…."

"What, afraid you'll be missing an arm when you reappear…?" David faded off, eyes growing distant.

Sobek groaned, paling, "You're not helping, David!"

David flinched, "Hmm? Oh, sorry! Um… next? Next fastest."

"Fly there, I guess," the Totodile shrugged. "Speed then depends on weather and the bird you're flying on. Up near the Post Office there's a charter service where you can pretty much go everywhere so long as you don't mind the ground being very far—"

David snapped his fingers, "We need to round up a few wild Pidgey then."

"What?" Sobek blinked, then laughed. "No! That's not how it works!"

"Come on! It'll be easy!" David shrugged, walking backwards ahead of Sobek, tossing his club from hand to hand. "We head to Tiny Woods—not that hole, the actual woods. We leave some birdseed, a few berries, and we pounce on the first Pidgey that show up."

Sobek shook his head, but grinned, "Then what, genius? We get a Spinerak to string-shot 'em all together and fly them like Drifloons?" David stopped mid-step, head tilting as he looked through Sobek. The Totodile groaned, grabbing David's arm as he walked past and pulled the Cubone out of his mad plotting. "All you Cubone are just terrible. No, David. Just no."

"Well, why not?"

"Because," Sobek laughed, "I tried it when I was five and I ended up stuck in a tree with seven mad Pidgeys pecking my eyes out." He scoffed, "Yeah, that didn't work…" He faded off, eyes lighting up as he glanced around. "…you hear that?"

David frowned, eyes narrowing as he glanced around. There wasn't anything around them, just the forest behind them to the south-east, plains all around them, and another forest lining the horizons.

_Twang~!_

The two lizards exchanged glances.

"…do you know what that is?" Sobek asked before David got a word out.

_Twingy-twaaaaaaaaahhhh-twig-twang!_

David winced, slowly sighing, "If it was in tune, I might." Sobek swatted his shoulder.

_Twanggggg… twangy-twangy-twing~_

"Not what I meant," Sobek muttered, rolling his eyes and froze looking over David's shoulder. He slowly smirked, "Well, David. There _is_ one way of we can get around faster…." David followed Sobek's eyes.

Rolling down out of the woods on the path they had just walked down a few minutes before, was a sizeable wooden wagon pulled by a Girafarig. The wagon itself wasn't that noteworthy. Made of a light-yellow wood, the thing had no covering, just a foot-high wall to keep the three large bags in its cargo from falling out. Four wheels rolled below it and a running board ran the length of the wagon. The Giarafarig was harnessed, reins running back to the driver's bench, looped around the foot of a lounging Sneazel. A wide-brimmed straw hat sat over his eyes and a beaten, old wooden construct in his arms, claws plucking sour notes from the strings.

It wasn't exactly a guitar or even a lute, but it imitated one of them just well enough to be giving David another headache.

The wagon neared the intersection and the tail of the Girafarig snapped its maw loudly a few times, poking the foot of the Sneazel. The Sneazel pointed to their right and the Girafarig turned down the path toward David and Sobek. The front head immediately noticed them, glaring and snorting.

"That explains the cart tracks," David muttered, glancing at Sobek when tossed a confused look. "I saw some on one of the paths last night when I was looking around. They go right by my house so… I don't think he's from town. …we gonna bum a lift?"

"When you put it that way, of course."

The Girafarig's front head glanced around again before looking over the two, slowing down as its tail snatched the Sneazel's hat off.

"Se você não gosta da música, é só dizer," The Sneazel sighed nonchalantly, still content on trying to doze off in the sun. Still, he set the guitar behind him and fished for the hat, tugging on it a few times. The wagon stopped several feet away from the two. The Sneazel blinked awake, sitting up and looking around. Then down. His face lit up in a shady grin, the gem on his forehead a bright glinting topaz.

"Ah! Hello down there, friends! A moment, please!" He ducked away from the side and tugged at his hat. "Meu chapéu, Ollie. Meu chapéu…! …obrigado, Ollie. Many, many thanks." He reappeared, the hat back on his head minus a large chunk on the side. The Girafarig's tail chewing and swallowed and craned around to join its front counterpart in eyeing the two lizards cautiously.

"Hello!" The Sneazel called again. "My apologies for not seeing you down there! It is strange to find others on this road this early in the morning." Red eyes glanced between the two of them. "Meaning, either you awoke very early this morning or you did not take the long way—the way all the locals seem to use…." He grinned, his feathered ear flicking in interest. "It is a wondrous shortcut, no?"

In a fluid motion, he vaulted over the side of the wagon, took off his hat, and landed into a bow, dropping down to the eyelevel of the two. "My name is Seve. Severino Odilon _Boa_sorte~!" David and Sobek subtly exchanged raised eyebrows and nonplussed looks. Seve silently sighed and stood straight, waving to the world as he began his pitch. "I am but a humble traveling merchant traveling these roads, trading everywhere from my wonderful home of Tapio in the south," He pointed with his hat past the two. David automatically followed his point, glancing away for a moment despite there only being trees and grass and rocks. Seve swept his arm over them to the North, waving dramatically "To the blizzard-covered, frigid cliffs of Articuno's Tears far, far to the north, to the—"

Ollie's tail chomped on the hat again, pulling it out from Seve's claws.

"And this is my _noble_ and _graceful_ tamed steed, Lino and Ollie." He clacked his claws; the hat was slotted back into them without further chomps taken from it. "Obrigado, Ollie."

"Uh?" David started, glancing up to the tall Pokemon. Four times his height, twice of Seve, the Girafarig looked at the two with four eyes, all of them far less at ease than the Seve and quickly becoming increasingly less so. "Two names?"

"It is a Girafarig—the tail is his own head, has his own mind, _very _tempermental," Seve said quickly and flatly, angling the hat away from the tail as it tried for another chomp, "The front is Lino, the tail is Ollie. Had to give the tail a name, else he gets mad and eats my hats." He playfully swatted the tail with the hat and donned it again, his feathered ear sticking out through the bitten chunk while the weasel-ly smile returned to his face and seeped into his voice. "So, with the sun not even a Pidgey's age in the sky, before the Square awakes and does its Square-ish things in its circular-ish way, who do I meet on this lonely road?"

The two lizards glanced to each other; Sobek spoke first, "I'm Sobek."

"David. Nice meeting you, Steve."

"No-no." The Sneazel sighed, rubbing his eyes, "Not Steve, not Steve, please not Steve. _Steve_ is my conniving brother-in-law—never do business with him if you are ever in need of a steed in Tapio. He'll pitch you a Numel that thinks it's a Ponyta, and you'll get the slowest Rhydon you'll ever see—you look at me oddly, but I swear it's true!" He leaned down again, "Truly, do not tell Lino and Ollie that they are but a Girafarig—I would be utterly ruined, hmm?" He laughed twice before clearing his throat and forcing a serious face.

"But no, I am Seve. _Say-vay._ If I could, I would be Severino Odilon _Boa_sorte to everyone I meet. But then I just become the strange Sneazel with the funny accent and the very long name. Which is fine, most Sneazels don't speak much." Seve shrugged, nodding with a faint laugh, "Being the strange Sneazel with the funny accent and the very long name helps me stand out, it helps my business. And yet, 'The Strange Sneazel With The Funny Accent And The Very Long Name' is, I _think_, too long to fit on the side of my wagon." Seve sighed, holding his hands out rather far apart, frowning for a solid second before his face shattered into a toothy grin. "So please, Seve. And Lino and Ollie. All very happy to meet you both." He cleared his throat and squatted down to eyelevel of the two, sitting on his haunches.

"But truly, I digress and must confess…. While indeed, on this road I do find a Sobek and a David," Seve nodded a few times at David, looking to Sobek, "You don't see Cubone around here." Nods to Sobek, a look to David, "And you _certainly_ don't see Totodile around here. Therefore, I do hope you two are just passing through. The Square is a nice place, but only for a day." He leaned closer, eyes glancing warnings and voice dropping. "You can trust me on that, hmm?"

Before either could get a word out, Seve stepped away, hopping up onto the runner of the wagon. Swallowing his words, David settled on tossing a bewildered glance to Sobek. His friend shook his head, bewildered as he was.

Seve pressed on, "Anyway! Seeing as we are both heading in the same direction, it wouldn't be a trouble for us to give a lift to you two." He offered a hand up, snickering at the incredulous glares the two gave him. "Relax, relax. It would be very awkward if I injured my customers, yes? I do not sharpen my claws, I will not cut you. Lino and Ollie, the powerful Rapidash and his Azelf sidekick, are more than enough to handle most bandits on the roads." He snickered to himself and held out his hand.

David exchanged glances with Sobek again. The Totodile shrugged and waved him on first. Shrugging himself, David took Seve's arm and was pulled up into the air, flailing. He fell face-first—_thud_.

"Ow…."

Seve snickered as Sobek stepped up, "Your friend isn't exactly the most graceful Cubone I've seen."

"Trust me," Sobek scoffed lowly, taking the help up. "I know."

David sat up on the far side of the driver's seat, resettling his helmet as he blinked the stars away—a pair of eyes in a mass of black bored into his own.

Meanwhile, Sobek landed gracefully in the back of the wagon. For a quick second, he glanced around the rear; three large and bulky canvas bags. He tapped the wall of the wagon, getting a low, solid thunk from it. The entire wagon was sanded and rubbed down by use and time, the flooring having been replaced at least once, but everything was solid. Nodding at the craftsmanship, Sobek and leaned over the driver's seat, over David's shoulder. He glanced between him and Ollie, then double-taked at the bone in the tail's mouth. "David?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," David stuttered, slowly reaching for the club. The black maw relented after a few tugs, but not before it let itself be pulled in closer and glaring into David's eyes. "…it's just a little weird having… that in your face."

"You never get used to it, trust me," Seve muttered, settling in the opposite nook of the driver's seat, kicking his feet up on the footboard. "But nothing can sneak up on me, so it's an interesting trade-off, hmm? Vamos, Lino. Pouco mais rápido agora." Though the tail glared through David, the other half of the Girafarig started into a slow trot. Seve set the reins on a peg on the footboard. "Obrigado, Lino."

"…so…" Sobek started awkwardly. He frowned at himself. Seve, either by accident or on purpose, hadn't allowed the two to get a word in, and now that they can, Sobek couldn't think of anything. "You're from Tapio? I think I've been there once."

David looked back, "What's it like?"

"Hot."

"Yes, very hot." Seve laughed, "And very nice. Topio is a city of the wild—built spanning from massive tree to massive tree, arching a hundred torbs in the air, it started as a bridge across Azelf River that expanded into a town over the delta of the river as the ground itself too much of a bog to support anything." Seve sighed, looking up the road. David shrunk as a slab of ice jolted into his spine. "From the Aerie in the treetops to the Harbor down below, the rich, deep smells of the forest permeated the entire town. And I was allergic to every scent that wafted through it. An amazing town, one everyone should have an asthma attack in one day."

"Errr… cool. I mean, but aren't you an Ice-type? In a hot place?" David quickly said. Seve burst out laughing again. David took the opportunity to lean in next to Sobek, and, very quietly, "What's a _torb_?"

Sobek winced in realization and nodded, "Height of a Voltorb."

… one foot, three inches, about a fourth of a meter—as tall as he was. All Voltorbs are the same diameter. Base a system of measurements off of a Pokemon that's _always_ the same height. Clever.

In the same vein, a… trode would be an Electrode—about three torbs, just over a meter. Granted, anything bigger than that would be a different leap of logic—what exactly counts as a 'mile' here then? How far an Electrode rolls in an hour?

….actually… that makes a sort of sense….

"Again, my friends," Seve grinned, shaking his head. "I am the strange Sneazel with the funny accent and the very long name. Any other Sneazel you meet, while they might have a different funny accent, their names run similar to 'Zeyla, Claw of Winter's Grasp.' …that's actually quite long—nevermind.

"Let me put it this way. I have many brothers and sisters who I grew up with, but I am the only Sneazel amongst them. To tell of a few, I have Infernape, Oddish and Mudkip sisters, and I have Flygon, Larvitar, and Lotad brothers. And many more as well. My mother raised us all from the eggs others brought to her to look over. She had the largest heart a Nidoqueen could ever have, and then some."

"Ah…" David nodded. Nidoqueen… Nidoqueen…. Evolves from Nidorina, evolves from Nidoran….

Nidoran…

Due to the high populace of their natural predators, such as Seviper and Arbok and Zangoose and other poison-resistant Pokemon, female Nidoran, as a species, have achieved survival through sheer numbers. Conservatively, there is an estimated of two million female Nidoran between—between—between—between—natural—Natural Selection

Through Natural Selection, female Nidoran had evolved over generations to breed within one year of birth, peaking in fertility during their first and second years. Those that survive quickly become unfertile and evolve into Nidorina, who, in their newfound power and sudden lack of purpose, leave the warren to hunt and roam freely.

Upon their eighth year of survival, Nidorina then make an instinctive migration to find Moon Stones to further evolve into Nidoqueen, who then return to their birthplace find warrens of female Nidoran to act as den mothers for them.

The ratio of Nidoqueen to Nidoran is one-to-five thousand and has been declining in recent years due to the lack of Evolution stones despite attempts made to maintain that balance. The largest warren held by a single wild Nidoqueen counted at least five hundred Nidoran.

Male Nidoran, with their larger spikes, are less desired by predators as they are more dangerous to attack and consume in direct comparison to their female counterparts. Therefore, with them off the menu for all but few predators, their numbers are considerably lower in Nature's equilibrium. At most, there is an estimated seven hundred fifty thousand between—between—but do not breed until two years of age.

This discrepancy between the Male and Female sexes of Nidorina is the root of dichotomy separating them into two distinct Pokemon species. And, as such, their biology and anatomy are drastically different, as the two have been built and structured over millennia to do two separate things. The female, to offset the losses from predators and further the species and the male we'll be looking at another time.

But for the meantime, when treating female Nidoran, particularly wild Nidoran, always be on guard for a Nidoqueen. Even tame Nidoqueen harbor a den mother mentality and at times, especially during extreme crisis, revert to this base instinct and will attack anyone she considers to be a threat to her warren. If worst comes to worst, it is best to abandon a wild Nidoran and let the Nidoqueen do what her instincts tell her to do.

Now, if we all turn to page 1374 of _Elm_—

"David! Hey, David! You there?"

"What?!" David blinked—they were suddenly in a forest again. He looked behind them; the first trees were a stone's throw away. The forest didn't start for at least two miles…. He turned to Sobek, "…I blanked out?"

"For about five minutes," Sobek grimaced, tilting his head, "You started mumbling something but I couldn't make anything out."

"Pure gibbeish, just the work of a mind sifting through itself," Seve shrugged, but his face took on a more serious look. This time it wasn't a mask for a story, and with it came genuine concern, "I hope I did not bring up any horrible childhood memories with telling of my adoptive parents…? I hear some Marowak are rather harsh on their children. …no? Not with you? Then I am relieved. You might have missed this, but Sobek has been sharing to me his travels." To Sobek, "Have you heard of any in your wanderings?"

Sobek shook his head, "I only knew two families of Marowak, five Cubone between them. They lived off around… Cape Glint. They were all fairly happy. Complete airheads sometimes, but downright devious."

"Cape Glint?!" Seve laughed, "Now I am sure. For how small you are, you travel even more than I do! No, do not worry, I'm sure your friend is fine—as you said, Cubone are often off in a world of their own, scheming." He poked David's skull "Thinking. But please tell me if you can, just where are you off to _now_? I have found a wonder of a Totodile, indeed. He must be going…"

Sobek's grin fell, and with it, Seve's. "Thunderwave Cave."

"Ah…." The Sneazel fell silent. Grim, thoughtful confusion flashing over his eyes as he leaned forward, resting his chin on the back of his claws. His eyes bored through the trees as they past.

"Thunderwave Cave," He repeated slowly, starting to nod. "I have heard of such a place. Yes, I have gone to such a place several times for a _particular_ errand." His voice was an eerie deadpan, sifting a saddened fatigue. He looked between the two. "I can only assume you two are going there for a _particular_ errand as well?" The Sneazel's eyes stopped at the Totodile's, "…unfortunately, yes?" Seve looked to David, finally understanding the anxiety in his eyes, and, slowly, nodded to him. "Unfortunately, of course."

Seve reached back into the closest bag on the back of the wagon, digging through it. "I assume speed is required. In that case, my charity for you two ends here—my apologies. …however!" He silenced the two, holding up a claw. "I like you two. Sobek, Totodile, you have traveled far and wide, farther than everyone in the Square combined I'd imagine. And David, Cubone. You have stayed silent, but that is what a Cubone does. Sit, observe, imagine, _create_.

"Your friend tells me you have lost confidence in yourself so let me tell you this: it was Marowak friend of mine who crafted this wagon of mine when I set off from Tapio many years ago, and it still rolls like the day she made it despite all the things it's gone through. You Cubone do two things very well. Fight, and create. You, I am starting to think, are more of a creator. So, between the two of you, something interesting is bound to occur and I'd like to make a profit off it, hmm? I jest!

"But truly. Whatever mistake you have made, I'm sure it is no worse than my own. Ergo, it is best if we help each other in such situations. This being said," He smirked, he had found whatever he was looking for. "You now owe me one." He pulled out three seeds, a light blue in color, teardrop in shape. "These are Speed Seeds."

"You're going to give us them?" Sobek blinked. "David, we can be there in, like, an hour!"

"An hour!?" Seve scoffed. "Sobek, why be there in an hour when we can be there in… ten minutes?"

David and Sobek glanced at each other, then noticed they had stopped. Both Ollie and Lino were looking back at Seve.

"Um para Ollie e dois para Lino." He dropped one seed into the tail's maw and gently tossed the other two the Lino. Seve glanced down to the two. He half-smirked, adjusting his hat and braced himself, standing one foot on the driver's seat and the other on the footboard. That was all the warning he gave them as the wagon took on a blue glow and gently lifted off the road.

_Just_ the wagon and the bags in the back, David and Sobek realized with a grimace.

"Vamos voar, Lino!" Seve cackled, "Let us fly, Lino! Rápido! Rápido! Rápido! _A-hahaha~!_"

They were gone before the dust rose.

* * *

Their faces stuck in a wind-blasted fright, Lino gently lifted the two off the wagon and onto the faintly path that lead off the road. Sobek's claws were stuck in David's shoulder while the Cubone still gripped the top of the side wall of the wagon with one hand and held his skull on with the other.

"And here is where we part ways, my friends," Seve bowed from his wagon, David's club in hand. "The cave is a quick walk through that path. Should we meet each other on these roads again, you are always free to hop on." He held the club out, "Lino, por favor." The club glistened in blue psychic power and lifted itself down to its owner. "Obrigado."

Seve stood, looking around for a moment before boosting himself up off the seat and glanced around the hilly forest again.

"As a merchant, I am an entertainer. If a Pokemon laughs, he remembers me, I have secured a customer, and he returns with a smile. I cannot help but grin and laugh but the time for laughs is over and this is most certainly not a happy occasion." He looked down, nervous eyes darting between the two. "So listen to me without a smile and keep this fresh in your mind.

"Be careful, be oh so very careful here," He said quietly. "Whatever you are there for, do it quickly and do not say much. Do not speak at all, lest it returns to haunt you. Look, but try not to see. Listen, but do_ not_ take to heart. You are there for a reason and that reason alone—but do not do _too_ well. …do not do too well." He nodded solemnly one last time, "Good luck friends. I hope this frees you. …Lino."

The wagon started along, Seve still on the lookout as they rolled down the road.

A slow minute passed, the two frozen in place.

"…David? Did we stop moving?"

"I don't know. …can you let me go? That's starting to hurt."

"I can't move, David. The trees are still moving too fast."

"Nevermind the trees… I think I lost my stomach. …come _on,_ get _off_!"

"I can't move David."

"You're talking!"

"David. Look at me, my jaw is stuck open," Sobek said flatly. David glared over his shoulder and clamped it shut. "Aaank uuu."

One by one, David pried Sobek's claws off of his shoulder and, with a light clunk on the head, Sobek jolted away. Sighing, David flipped up his helmet and rubbed his eyes and the two took a minute to regain their nerve.

"You ready?" Sobek finally asked, still teetering slightly from vertigo. David answered with a flat glare. "Thought not."

They started down the pathway. The trees were becoming more and more sparse after a few minutes walking, being replaced with jutting rocks and smaller shrubbery.

While there was birdsong flitting through the air, it was distant. The wind gently rattled the branches above them and the bushes next to them. But there wasn't anything in them. No Caterpie or Weedle or Metapod or Oddish or Bellsprout—this was a perfect place for Bellsprout with all this sun filtering down from above! Sunflora or something else but…

"…there isn't anything here," David whispered, rolling his shoulders and rolling his club in his hand.

"That dungeon's been here for a while," Sobek nodded uneasily. "The longer a dungeon is around, the more wilds fall into it. At first, new wilds take over the abandoned territory because why not? Then they fall into the dungeon. There's a point where even the wilds realize something terrible is going on, and they abandon the area."

David frowned, "You know an awful lot about these things."

Sobek shrugged, sighing, "…my Mom used to be on a Rescue Team." He turned to David, "She never dared take me along—of course, but I was curious and helped around the base. A Wingull was the team's secretary and I, being the overeager little kid, wanted to help at every… woah-woah-woah, hold on," He pointed over David's shoulder. "Look at that."

"Wha…?" David followed the point to a clearing just past the trees. It took a moment for him to understand what he was looking at.

A swarm of Plusle and Minun bustled on and around a large rock outcropping, easily thirty feet tall from dirt to top. Their hides were covered in stains of all sorts of colors, some Plusle to the point where they looked like Minun while others looked more like a tie-dyed Spinda. They darted up and down the rock with dripping paws, slathering the grey stone in green and blue and orange and yellow.

Rattata and Poochyena darted around the base, digging and moving dirt away from the rock and several patches around it.

"They're painting it," David realized. "Sobek, they're _painting—_that's a Magnezone!"

* * *

**Seve speaks Poke-Portuguese to Lino and Ollie, for those wondering. It's going to be used as sparingly as I can, but apologies in case Google Translate screwed something up or an accented letter didn't mesh well with the site. Though, in my quick bit of research of Portuguese linguistics, I think Google did a good job.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading! If you can, drop a comment below.**


	9. Step 7: Sometimes It's Best Not To Ask

Step 7

Sometimes It's Best Not to Ask

Sobek frowned, "A… Magnezone?"

"Look," David pointed over Sobek's shoulder. "It's angled towards us. …the shapes are terrible but there's the center eye, that spire on top is the antennae, the dirt mounds are the side bits…? I don't know why, but… it's a Magnezone."

"I've never actually seen a Magnezone," Sobek mumbled quickly, "so I trust the amnesiac here—ow, hey! Alright, I get it, your joke, not mine." David rolled his eyes, taking a step closer, unconsciously scratching the back of his skull. Sobek noted the futile effort, then continued, "…Magnezone still have magnets right? Well, they're missing a few rocks for those."

"Are those wilds…?" David faded off as he noticed several female Nidoran carrying berries in their mouths, running to a small group of Plusle and Minun off to the side of the rock. While the others were had patches dyed, the pelts of these were at the point where none of their natural colors came through the yellow, blue, and red stains. That's where the paint was coming from, but exactly how they were making it they couldn't see from where they stood. But the paint is _just_ berry juice? It had to be a bit more than that to get _that_ much color out of it. A bit of ochre for the yellow, maybe some indigo for the blue….

…those are things, right?

"Those are wilds, right?"

Sobek sighed, frowning, "I'm not sure."

Still, all things considered, it was a rather smooth and well-coordinated operation, and it was all in silence. Thirty-plus Plusle and Minun, fifteen Rattata, maybe five or seven Poochyena, and at least seven Nidoran, and there wasn't a word between them. Even the painters made no sound against the rock as they scampered around it. Their efforts focused on the other side of the rock at the moment.

There was just the wind in the trees and bushes around them.

You know, the diggers were moving far too slow to be effective—it was all done _deliberately _in silence.

"Sobek, I think we should keep…."

A Minun jolted upright on the very peak of the rock, darting its head around. Its fur was clean of any dye, and its ears twitched. David pulled Sobek behind a tree.

"…keep low and keep moving," the Cubone finished. "This doesn't feel right."

"You think?"

"_Myy_." For such a quiet sound, the Minun was incredibly loud.

The two recoiled behind the tree as every single head in the clearing snapped up to the lookout, eyes wide in fear. The Minun sniffed the air, bracing itself against an unfelt wind. It turned and looked at David and Sobek—they didn't move fast enough and the entire swarm got a look at them for a brief moment. David tightened his grip on both his club and Sobek's arm.

"_Mii…._" The lookout toned and most of the swarm looked away. It snorted, flinching for a moment before freezing. It then hummed lowly, a single, unwavering note. The few that lingered watching the two lizards snapping attentively at the Minun. A few of the Poochyena tensed, like they were paralyzed by the decision to run toward the rock or away from it.

…or waiting for a signal for either. What are they on the lookout for?

"Sobek, is there anything in the area that might set them off?"

"Didn't you hear—oh right…." Sobek seethed, "When you were out of it, Seve told me that a town just up the road was attacked three days ago."

David flinched, turning back to Sobek, "…how bad?"

Sobek swallowed, then took a ragged breath, "Seve said it was a sawmill run by a dozen or so families—was literally called 'Sawmill.' Maybe fifty Pokemon lived there. …it… it's not pretty—he didn't say much on it, just that it happened and…. and there was a lot of blood."

"What?" David breathed. "Who did it?!"

The Minun sang a constant drone, pausing only to breathe and when it flinched briefly. It looked up, slowly turning its head as if surveying the clearing again, doubling back on itself twice before making its way back toward David and Sobek. If it could see something in the distance, whatever it was was rather indecisive itself.

"Seve said he was up there with supplies for the two teams investigating, but… they don't have a lead yet. They haven't found any survivors either. But…" Sobek whispers faded off. He then shook his head, looking up to the top of the spire. "…these _are_ wild Pokemon. They're clearly single-minded—did you see that Poochyena, the one that's been moving the dirt for the diggers? It keeps moving the piles around. If it wasn't wild, it would push it as far back as it could from the start, instead of letting it pile up right there. But…"

"You think they know something?"

"Wilds are smarter than most Pokemon realize. Civilized 'mons ignore just them, so they learn all sorts of things. …what else could they be freaked out about?"

"I don't know," David scoffed, "But let's not forget the fact we've been sent for by a Magnemite, and we've found a bunch of wilds painting Magnezone. _Hmm_."

Sobek glanced at David, then sighed, nodding with an exasperated frown.

After an agonizing minute, the Minun turned back the way it came, shoulders drooping when it had turned completely around.

"_Lull_," It sighed, and a collective one followed. Work silently resumed. The Nidoran carried berries to the group at the base, who took them and made the paint. The paint was slathered onto the paws of Plusle and Minun and they darted back and forth between the statue and the group, painting the body, the spire, and other parts uneven hues of light blue and red. The Poochyena and Rattata dug and moved piles of dirt around, forming out the side-domes of the Magnezone.

The Minun leaned over the edge of its perch and hissed at the closest Plustle below it, this one's fur clean except for yellow-stained paws. …other than the spire at the top, there were no other yellow parts on the statue yet. It visibly recoiled, skittering back away from it, shaking its head.

The Minun scowled, then immediately cut itself off and jolted upright again—the entire camp froze. It shook its head and lowered itself, and the camp moved again. The Minun hissed louder at the Plusle, stamping softly, beckoning it to the top of the antennae. Another Plusle jointed the first, hissing at it for a moment before shoving it to the antennae. After a long hesitation of dread, the Plusle scampered up the rock. At the top, the Minun tapped tails with it, giving the Plusle a reassuring spark, and climbed down, clicking twice loudly. One of the larger Poochyena glanced up and stepped away from the outcrop, shaking the dirt out of its fur.

It hopped between pools of wet paint, dodged and leapfrogged over its fellow kin, and made its way down the outcropping. It jumped onto the back of the Poochyena and the two headed straight towards David's tree.

"_Osha_—Sobek…!" David hissed.

"Don't move, just don't move!" The Totodile hissed back. "If they wanted to attack, all of them would be rushing at us. Don't be a threat to them and they won't be a threat to us."

A second later, the Poochyena stopped in front of them, the Minun hopping down as David and Sobek took a step back. The mouse's fur was uneven, overgrown in some areas and patchy in others, ears ragged and gnawed slightly. Still, even with the ears missing a bit of them, the Minun was a few inches shorter David. Not counting the ears, it was just about half his height. Even then, the Minun looked up to the two with fierce eyes but with a calm demeanor, ears lowering halfway behind it in an uneasy respect.

The Poochyena seemed alright, just mud caked into its fur and a very tired look in its eye.

"Nnn," It nodded a curt greeting. The Poochyena quietly growled its own. Sobek awkwardly nodded to them, David catching on a moment too late.

"_Plll!_" The lookout on the rock tensed and the camp froze.

Scowling quietly, the Minun pushed past the two, grabbing their arms and pulling them along the path at a fast pace. The Poochyena took one careful last glance at the camp and trotted along behind them.

"Sobek," David whined quietly through a clenched jaw, "What do we do?"

"They're leading us, maybe to the Magnemite? Maybe away from a horde of _very_ on-edge wild Pokemon? I honestly don't know," Sobek glanced to David, "…but these are _wilds_," He hissed, unnerved. "Not only that, but the Minun has a severe case of Dungeon—"

The Poochyena bonked its head against Sobek's, shushing him with a cautionary growl. The Totodile glanced back, then looked again, face clouding in confusion. He leaned to David, "I was wrong. The Pooch is an irrational—t-the eyes are too bright for a wild—there's something more behind them I mean. Maybe the Minun too. I didn't even _think_ to look for that. Not outside a Dungeon."

David fidgeted with his club, unconsciously keeping it away from the Poochyena. It seemed to notice, huffing slightly at him. "…they seem kinda calm for being in a bloodthirsty rage."

"That is what bothers me. They usually spit nonsense or attack on sight. But if there are more irrationals in the group then it would explain every—"

The Minun's ears bolted upright and pulled the two behind a tree before hopping up and springboarding off David's nose into the branches. The Pooch sidestepped beside them, pressing them against the trunk moments before a flood of Plusle and Minun surged past them in frenzied silence.

Sobek elbowed David, pointing to a single Plusle that zig-zagged through the rush, eyes darting around, searching until the Minun poked its head below the branches and chirped. The Plusle bolted to the tree, scampering up the trunk.

"Yellow paws," David noted.

"The one that took over lookout duty for the Minun," Sobek concurred with a nod, "…from the sounds of the sobbing up there, it's a false alarm. …wilds don't have _this_ much emotion to them. But irrationals don't have this much reason." Sobek huffed, shrugging, "I just don't get it."

"Okay, but false alarm of what? What is everyone freaking out about?"

The Poochyena head-butted them again, snorting lowly but cut itself off, ears perking. It looked around.

Sobek faltered, following the Poochyena's eyes, "Something happened—everyone stopped—oh-move-move-_movemove!_" Before the Pooch could even push them, they darted to the other side of the tree.

Pokemon still heading right skidded as the ones that ran before them scrambled back the other way, all of them stumbling into each other as the tide slowly reversed itself. Eddies clumped together, causing more and more Pokemon to trip and add to the pile, each one knocking the entire group off-balance before anyone could get a solid footing.

A whipcrack of thunder snapped, and everyone froze where they were.

David automatically glanced up, "It's a clear sky…."

Sobek shook his head. "Uh, heh, that was a Thundershock. Not a strong one, but I've heard that enough—"

Three more quick cracks and the group around them bolted back to the Magnezone rock in a crazed frenzy, running and hiding behind it. Their Minun guide bounced off their noses on its way to the ground, getting their attention.

"Nnn," It sneered, making a very clear motion to stay still with its paws. It then turned, calmly leaving the cover of the tree but stepped back quickly, suppressing an urge to run and clearly straining to keep a blank face. After a long moment, it looked to the two.

A Magnemite floated into view, magnets charged with electricity. Sobek subtly edged behind David.

"Umm….?" David started, eyes darting between the Magnemite's single eye and the streaks of yellow making a lopsided figure eight on its steel body, one loop circling the eye and a wide, squashed one on the forehead. The upper, smooshed loop had a small line running tangent on the right side.

It was less a fact of it was there and more of the question of _how_ it got there that confused David. It clearly couldn't paint itself, and the lines didn't seem to be drawn with, well, magnets.

"BZZZZZRRRT"

…it wasn't like any sort of speech…. More like a… clicking… _machinery_—no that's not it…

David leaned back to Sobek, "The Magnemite hello, right?"

"Magneminte hello—Hello! Um—"

"I AM MAGNEMITE" the Magnemite announced in an ear-splitting drone, tone completely even. Each word pronounced with barely any delay between them. "THIS IS OUR TERRITORY TRESSPASSERS ARE NOT WELCOME"

Pause. It hovered stock-still in front of them. Its magnets slowly, slowly, twitching sparks in an aggressive warning.

David and Sobek glanced at each other again.

"I AM MAGNEMITE THIS IS OUR TERRITORY TRESSPASSERS ARE NOT WELCOME WHO ARE YOU"

"Oh! We've, uh—we're the ones you sent for…?" Sobek fumbled before the lightbulb went off. He slung down his pack and stuck a hand in it, "We, uh, we have your letter right… um, right-right here!" Out came the half-crumpled letter and he held it up.

The Magnemite's left magnet twirled and sparked once and, at that signal, the Minun leapt up and snagged the paper. It straightened it out and held it taut for the Magnemite to read.

Sobek threw an unsure glare to David; the Minun's trained?

David shrugged; you're the expert here!

The single eye darted over half the lines—more like the entire body pivoted, the eye didn't move (which is strange since a Magnemite's eye _can_ move independent of its body)— before turning away from the paper. It dropped down to eye-level for the two, magnets decharged of energy.

"WE APOLOGIE TO YOU AND TO THE DUTCHESS," It nodded; a bow with its entire body rather. "WE APOLOGIZE TO YOU OUR RESIDENTS ALARMED YOU WE APOLOGIZE TO YOU AND TO THE DUTCHESS"

David looked back to the rock, noticing a few of the Plusle poked their heads over it. They darted back under his confused look as he fumbled for words. "…_residents_?"

"YES _WRRRRRRR_ WE HAD EXPECTED YOU TO ARRIVE NO EALIER THAN TWO HOURS AND SEVENTEEN MINUTES FROM … NOW"

Sobek shook his head, "But what does that have to do with them? And what do you mean by _residents?!_"

"HAD YOU ARRIVED IN _WRRR_ TWO HOURS AND SIXTEEN MINUTES AND … FOURTY-ONE SECONDS OUR RESIDENTS WOULD BE HOUSED AND YOU WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ATTACKED"

"_Attacked_?" David butted in. "They didn't attack us, they were running from—!"

"WE APOLOGIZE TO YOU AND TO THE DUTCHESS"

"BZZBZZRRT"

The two whirled to see three more Magnemite surrounding them. Each had different markings from the others, the only thing in common was the circle around the eye and the yellow paint.

The leftmost had two arcs running from the top and bottom of the eye curving to the right and a small line connecting the eye to the magnet. The middle had a simple line running down and angling exactly ninety degrees right while the right-most had two right triangles, offset above and below and both missing most of the long side.

"THESE ARE THOSE THE DUTCHESS HAS SENT TO US TO RECOVER OUR LOST THEY HAD FRIGHTENED THE RESIDENTS AND THEY ATTACKED" the first Magnemite droned.

"Listen!" David shouted, driving the point of his club into the ground for an emphasis lost on the Magnemite. "They weren't attacking us—they were _running,_ and this Minun was leading us—"

"WE APOLOGIZE TO YOU AND THE DUTCHESS" They repeated, the exact same tone, the exact same voice.

David drummed his fingers once on his club and pulled it out of the ground, swallowing his words. He sighed quietly, biting his lip as he stretched his neck, glaring at the Magnemite. "They didn't _do_ anything."

"Drop it, David," Sobek mumbled, "They're not listening."

"Yeah. I got that. I just feel better saying it."

The middle of the three newcomers spoke over them, the one with the 'L' shaped line, "MAGNEMITE ASKS YOU TO FOLLOW … MAGNEMITE WILL SHOW YOU TO THE CAVE … OTHERS WILL TEND TO OUR RESIDENTS … MAGNEMITE ASKS YOU TO FOLLOW … FOLLOW"

This one spoke in sentences, or at least paused slightly longer between them. It floated over the two and down the path. "FOLLOW."

Again, the two exchanged unsure glances but the Poochyena pushed them after the Magnemite, the Minun nonchalantly holding up their letter to take, not making eye contact. David slowly did, and the Minun and the Poochyena were ushered off by the other Magnemite, the floating Pokemon forming a wall behind them. From magnet to magnet, a silent static barrier sparked into existence.

Neither the Minun or the Poochyena looked back as they were marched off. They walked simply straight ahead, not showing any outside emotion. Not exactly in a defeated manner but… not in a defiant one either. It's like….

What was it what was it what was it what was… Apathetic? …it fits but… …no, that wasn't it. What was the word for it?! Word, phrase, whatever! What was it!?

The Magnemite stopped and turned. "FOLLOW"

With one last exasperated look shared between the two lizards, they did.

David's fumed as long as he could, waving Sobek off when the Totodile motioned to calm down twice during their march. But with a final snort, decided the energy would be better spent when he actually got through to the Magnemite. Like with his club. Steel and Electric—that would work freaking wonders on them, now would it!?

The silent trip ended at the cave entrance, a hole in one of the rocky foothills of the mountains beyond. The archway of the hill was painted a bright warning red that bled into yellow and blue jagged stripes that ran away from it. Whether they were intended as some sort of lightning bolt or just sloppy painting, neither could tell.

The… _residents_ that painted them couldn't be found.

David started again, "So what _is_ with all the paint—"

"HERE IS THE THUNDERWAVE ITSELF"

"Yeah, okay. Don't want to answer, just ignore the question, _thank you very much_."

"Just drop it, David," Sobek sighed.

"No."

"INSIDE APPOXAMATELY ONE HUNDRED VOLTOBS DIAMETERS BELOW GROUND LIES THE DEEP POINT … IT IS THERE MAGNEMITE AND MAGNEMITE ARE BONDED INCOMPLETE … YOU ARE TO DWELVE AND RESCUE THEM"

"I don't like what's going on here either," Sobek mumbled under the Magnemite's drone, "But David, you thought the Minun was going to attack us. The entire pack was running right by us, it's really not that far of a leap of judgment."

"You're _defending_ them now?!"

"WE CANNOT REACH THEM OURSELVES AS THE THUNDERWAVE MAY BOND US AND CRIPPLE US"

"Heck no, David!" Sobek scoffed. "But some Magnemite don't think twice about the decisions they made. To whatever logic they're running on, they can't be wrong."

"THE DUTCHESS MENTIONED YOUR HELP TO HER IN HER VISIT AND WITH HER BLESSING WE ASK YOU TO HELP US" It bowed again, and backed away from them, motioning them inwards with twirls of its magnets. "YOU WILL BE REWARDED GREATLY"

"Oh, so they're egocentric jerks?"

"No. But it does mean they _can't lie_ either, at least according to what their own truth is. The trick is not to go against the grain, just tangent," Sobek smirked. He walked up to the Magnemite, "We'll do it—but one quick question before we go in.

"YOU WONDER ABOUT THE RESIDENTS"

Sobek glanced a half-surprised nod to David. The Cubone frowned, claws drumming on his club as he paced towards the rock of the hillside.

"APOLOGIES TO YOU … WE THOUGHT YOU KNEW ALL THIS TIME … _WRRRRRR _THEY ARE THOSE WE RECOVERED FROM THE THUNDERWAVE … WILDS AND IRRARIONALS BOTH. THEY CANNOT REJOIN WILD OR SOCIETY DUE TO DUNGEON PLAGUE IRRATIONALITY … WE OVERSEE THEM"

"And the giant statue of a Magnezone?" David called over. He ran a claw through the paint, scratching a thin, wavy line through it.

"AN ACTIVITY TO KEEP THEM BUSY … TO REAQUAINT THEM WITH PEACE AND SOCIETY _WRRRRR _FELLOWSHIP AND TEAMWORK"

David rolled his eyes, flicking the paint flakes off his hand and looking at his defacement of the rock, "Seems kinda vain to me."

"IT IS FOR THEIR BETTERMENT, ELSE THEY FIGHT EACH OTHER … THE IMRESSION LEFT FOR STRANGERS IS _WRRR_ MISUNDERSTOOD … WE UNDERSTAND … IT WAS MERELY A SUGGESTION BY THE DUCHESS AND WE KNOW NOTHING ELSE FOR THEM TO DO … IS THIS A SATISFACTORY ANSWER"

"Just… what is your connection to the Duchess?" Sobek fished awkwardly.

"WE ARE UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE DUTCHESS … THIS LAND IS HERS … WE MERELY LOOK AFTER IT AND THE RESIDENTS IT HOLDS"

After taking a long second to soak it in, Sobek looked to David, shrugging with hands up slightly. David snorted, "Fine. Let's go."

"WE THANK YOU ... WE ASK YOU NOT CORRUPT THE GREAT THUNDERWAVE IN YOUR TRAVELS … _BZZZZRBERRT_."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," David scoffed as Sobek gave one last cautionary glance around on his way to the entrence. "Don't mess with the great and powerful 'mon behind the curtain, I get it." He pulled Sobek by the shoulder into a swift walk into the cave.

His stomach did a backflip the moment they crossed the threshold of the cave, forcing an unconscious hesitation out the Cubone as he tried to tell his body that there was, in fact, a path there in the realm of nothingness. Fighting every ounce of common sense and reason telling him _not_ to go there, _not_ to step where there was no ground and _not_ to go into a deathtrap, he walked forward.

"Oh, I hate you _so_ much…." David groaned quietly, just willing himself to take one more step. Then another. Then another. Just one more, now one more. Do it. Do it! You can't go back, you don't have a choice! Another step! Now, not later, _now_! Another!

It took a few minutes, but they finally crossed the invisible line of where the Mystery Dungeon started and David shivered as the feeling of his surroundings came back to him. Though he already knew the answer, he glanced back anyway and let out a whining groan at the sight.

Rock. A Solid wall of rock with no way out. Though… the rock was painted red with a single, thin zig-zagging yellow line that looped around the chamber on the walls. The red wall domed over them and arched to the other end of the chamber. But unlike the rest of the paint they had seen, this was all the same hue of red.

Well, at least this place was clearly a cave this time, no sky, no sun, no trees, no grass. Just rock, dimly illuminated by some quirk of the dungeon. He didn't exactly care how.

"Interesting…" Sobek mumbled to himself. David looked to see him poking at the wall, scratching a line in the paint and examining the flakes on his claw. Yet there wasn't even a mark on the wall, so where did the flakes come from?

Sobek glanced back to see David's unhappy look. Sobek ignored it, "It's the paint from the outside, the Dungeon's incorporated it into the walls here. No, they didn't have their _residents_ paint it, David. It's like the hole in Tiny Woods, it sensed the paint outside, so it brought it inside. But... the yellow…" He looked up and down the wall, eyes tracing the jagged line of yellow, "Huh. There isn't a pattern to it, but it looks just like a lightning bolt. If… if I remember correctly, might have something to do with that pulse of energy they mentioned."

"Wooooow, _amazing_," David said flatly, his annoyance igniting into a dim, flickering rage in his eyes. "I'll write home about it. Really, this is great stuff for my bed to tell me when I have trouble sleeping."

Sobek rolled his eyes and sighed as he looked down the only exit from the small chamber they were in. "…I think the entire dungeon is painted. …these Magnemite have been at this for… three years, at least? Or… no, it _can't_ be five—?" David pushed by him, marching down the corridor. Swallowing his words and clenching his jaw, Sobek started after him.

David rolled his club in his hand, eyes darting around, looking for something, anything to bash. If only so it was having a worse day than he was.

That said, "Any idea what kinds of Pokemon live here?"

"Everyone we saw outside. Female Nidoran, Poocheyna, Rattata, Plusle, Minun," Sobek said curtly, eyes following the yellow line on the wall.

"I figured. You said the wilds get knocked outside when KO them? Great. Just great. More workers for their little idol."

Sobek sighed, using every ounce of restraint to keep his growing annoyance out of his voice, "Look, David. If they're rehabilitating Irrationals, it explains everything out there. It makes sense now; why they're not attacking us on sight, why they're smarter than the regular wilds, and why they're not fully civilized." He shook his head, "Social interaction, proper diet, and being outside cures Dungeon Phage and maybe even Irrationality. I… don't really like how they're going about doing it, but that's what they got out there. That Minun had some major Phage, he'd been killed otherwise."

"Just what is this Dungeon Phage you keep talking about!?" David snapped, then flinched at how loud he was. "Right. Sorry."

The Totodile sighed, "Come on. Just… just cool it, David. Stop getting so worked up about everything," Sobek shook his head, "But alright. Dungeon Phage. So there isn't any real food in a Dungeon other than the stuff Pokemon bring into it. Remember the Sunkern from yesterday? By now they probably have a pretty serious case. They need the sun to grow, but there wasn't a real sun. If they use the fake sun _to_ grow though, they start developing Dungeon Phage. It's a reliance on the Dungeon's own energy to sustain them. They basically become a part of the Dungeon, and just start rotting away. It's why most Dungeon Pokemon are so bloodthirsty, actual food keeps them alive. And any civilized Pokemon that suffers from Phage becomes an Irrational.

"But if a Phage gets out of a Dungeon… it might just go on a rampage. Most wilds are passive until provoked—it might have even been a Phage that attacked the Sawmill, I don't know." Sobek huffed, frustration rising in his voice. "Yeah, they're going about it the wrong way, David, but the Magnemite are the only things keeping them alive and helping them get better. Something is better than nothing!"

"It just doesn't feel right," David huffed. He snorted and stomp his foot, "_That's_ what Seve was warning us about! It didn't sit well with him either and he told us not to look too hard. Don't look too hard and we won't see the… _residents _because we can't do jack about them!"

"Yeah, well…. I can't exactly help but to."

"And it's my job _to_ look hard at stuff—what?" David froze with his mental back-step, Sobek bumping into him. "_What._"

"Are… are you remembering something?"

"N-no, it just came out, it just came out," David fumbled, his rage shocked into confusion as he tried anything to further the thought.

His job to notice…? His job to see…? His job to look…? Job as in his living? Job as in just something he does? Hobby, Occupation, Habit…?

He rubbed his eyes through his helm, he got nothing. So where did it even come from? "It's… what does that even mean, my _job_ to look hard at stuff? …Sobek?" He looked back for an answer, "You got an idea…?"

"You…? You were a detective?" Sobek said shrugging. His eyes lit up and he snapped his claws, "You were a detective—David the Cubone," His voice dropped low into a sort of cheesy voice that hit a certain nerve in David. He turned, eyeing Sobek with a skeptical, but amused, eye. "David the Cubone, Private Investigator. He was once a big-shot police Lieutenant..." David pointed up. "Captain? That's the highest rank I can think of, okay?"

"Admiral? General? Marshal?"

"Two of those sound like a lot of paperwork and the third is a common name for a Mudkip. Captain? Captain. Big-shot Police Captain who solves murders in his sleep, until a tragic accident struck too close to home—lost his squad? Killed his girlfriend? No, not ringing any…? Er—his obsession with the case has him now out of his job, down on his luck, and only scales and bones—see what I did there? Like skin and bone but with—nevermind.

"Ahem. But then he had one last shot to solve the case that ruled his life for the last four years, and moved in for the kill. But the tables were turned and he wound up in the middle of nowhere, with no past and only his name—"

"Alright, alright, I get it," David groaned before Sobek made another terrible joke or, worse, explained it. He rolled his eyes but was clearly trying not to laugh. "…I do like the idea though. David the Cubone, Private Eye." He nodded, quite satisfied.

…no, not David _the_ Cubone. Just straight up, plain-and-simple, David Cubone. That's a little better.

Ah, that's still not right! He didn't want his species to be a surname! That's _silly_! …and, well, not really all that unique…. He needed something else, something that would make him stand out. Something witty… no, something that just rolled off the tongue and sounded cool to say but still fit a sort of theme….

David… David… David… …there _is_ more to it—what was his last name? Why can he just remember his first?

Sobek snickered as he saw David's eyes drift deep into thought, "I'm just fooling, David! Come on! …but hey, if you're up for it, I'd think it'd be fun. Solving crimes, chasing down thieves, bringing criminals to justice. I just might sign up as your sidekick. I don't got anything better to do."

"More fun than _this_." David scowled, turning away, eyes darted to the jagged line of yellow on the walls and noticing the light play off of the sides of the eyesockets of his skull. Was… was the line _glowing_? "…wait." He glanced around before holding his club up. He waved a hand around it. "There's a shadow…? The yellow—is that where the light is coming from?"

Sobek squinted. Sure enough, there was a faint shadow where David's hand shielded the club from the rest of the cave. "I… think so." He blinked, looking around again, "…okay, that might throw off my time estimate. The Dungeons must have changed since…" He shook his head. "You know what, forget it. Feeling better, David?"

"Barely," the Cubone sighed, "But I'm just going to get mad again when we get outta here so... I'll apologize in full when we get ba_aaaaaaack!_"

David crashed forward into Sobek and the growling face of a Poochyena shoved itself in Sobek's as it pinned the two to the floor. Sobek sneered back with larger fangs, but the Pooch snapped at him, fully aware that the Totodile wasn't in any position to move. It dove for David's shoulder—Sobek slashed it away.

"I can keep it from biting us, but nothing else!" Sobek grunted, shoving the snout away again.

Another Pooch pounced on David's arm as he swung at the one on his back, pinning it with its paws before its maw snapped down on him.

David froze for a moment before he realized there wasn't any pain. The Pooch pulled—

"It's after my club!" He flailed his tail and managed to shift his weight onto it, "Sobek, water blast them or something!"

"I can't with you on top of me!"

"Well, what do we do? I'm not letting them have it—we'll never catch them if—no-nono_no_! Get off get off getoffget_offgetoff!_"

The Pooch pinning them down snapped one more time to intimidate and darted after the second, tackling it as it tried to run away with the prize all to itself, sending the bone club skidding and spinning into the next chamber.

"Oh, _nonono!_" David pushed himself up and bolted down after them. "No you don't! GET BACK HERE!"

The second Pooch fought back, headbutting the first away and then pounced on it, knocking it to the ground.

"GIVE IT BACK!"

It darted away before it looked up, the only thing that saved it from its comrade's fate of being slammed unconscious by David's tail. His entire momentum spent in the attack, David stumbled over the unconscious Poochyena, looking up to see his club in the mouth of a Rattata who had the unfortunate idea to steal the thing when no one was looking.

With a loud squeak, and a very regretful look on its face from its poor life decision, it dropped the club moments before being tackled into the wall by the Pooch. Biting it by the tail, the Poochyena flung the Rattata over its shoulder before scooping up the bone and started down the corridor.

Ducking under the flying Rattata—it crashed into Sobek as he tried to enter the fray—David charged again.

This isn't going to work! It's a Poochyena, he's a Cubone. It can run twenty miles an hour! He can…

...Cubone, as avid hunters, carries a similar traditional hunting style to early humans when it comes to prey they cannot catch. That is, they chase their prey to exhaustion. But thanks to their unique running gait they had held since millennia ago, they can sustain a top speed of—

"_Not now!_" David scowled, snapping out of it. Oh, now he'll never catch it! If only he had something to throw but the only thing he had was….

He blinked. No. That is a _stupid_ idea.

"It's the only one I have!" He burst forward, running after the Pooch as fast as he could get his legs to go. The Pooch wasn't running full throttle and he was actually catching up to it, but not fast enough to see which way it would go at the next corridor.

Now! It had to be now!

He spun, reaching up and pulling off his helm and using the entire flow of momentum to chuck it forward.

It screamed forward as the air whistled through the eye sockets, the noise caused the Pooch to turn—right as the skull tumbled down onto its head like a lid, the back of the skull slamming into its nose and the rest snapping down, effectively hitting the Poochyena over the head. The thief flew off its feet and tumbled and skidded to a stop, motionless. The skull backwards on its head and the club falling from its maw.

"Ha-ha! _Yes!_"

Sobek threw the dazed Rattata off him and squinted down the corridor, "…did you just throw your _skull_ at the thing?"

"Yesyesyesyes_yes_!" David cheered himself with a fistpump as he bolted down the path. Sobek's head tilted in a failure to process.

"…yeah," Sobek said silently as he stood alone in his cavern. "There is _no_ way you are a Cubone if you risk your skull like that. Then again, you'd have to be a Cubone to make the… no, wait. Maple was good with gravelrocks. Yeah, she could hit a Burmy two blocks away with those things." He hesitated, seething through a pained look. He shook it off, eyes catching something on the ground in the corner of his chamber. "…speaking of gravelrocks though."

At the entrance to the next, a quick, careful glance by David shown it to be empty and he sped over to the fallen Poochyena, skidding to a stop, rubbing his hands together and giggling happily to himself.

"Aaaaand _this_ is mine, and _this _is mine. _Thank you_."

Sticking the club under his arm for the moment, he gave his helmet a quick once-over. The Riolu skull was fine, it was a sturdy—wait, it's _Riolu_? He held it at arm's length, looking at its profile. …yeah, it's canine—very close to the first image that popped into his head when he thought of what a Cubone's skull would look like but not exactly.

It was the ears threw him off, not to mention the lack of teeth. If it was Riolu, he expected at least the canines to be there, but the entire rim was a smoothed edge. Still, that image had some sort of horns at the back, these were wider and evenly triangular—a Riolu's ear is bone when it hatches, then degrades into cartilage when it's ready to evolve into Lucario for more flexible and emotive ears. Not that a Riolu's ears weren't emotive, they just couldn't really move them that much and—

David groaned and rubbed his forehead, "How do I _know_ all this?!"

"Know what?"

David looked left to see Sobek entering the chamber. He had the pouch that the berries were in in his hand, something far heavier than the berries in it now.

The Cubone bit his lip, glancing away as he put his helm back on. He huffed as he tried to settle the skull, getting into that sweet spot where it wouldn't move even if he was upside down, "You know, I'll explain when we're out of this hole of crazy."

Sobek carefully frowned, "Are you remembering stuff?"

"I… I _really_ don't know. It's just… just voices… like last night I had this— …Sobek?" David looked around, finding the Totodile pacing around the room urgently, an extremely anxious look about him. "…Sobek? Usually you're the one to ask me this but… are you okay?"

"You don't _feel_ that—course you don't, you're Ground-type," Sobek said quickly. He was jittering as he walked, eyes snapping all over the room in desperate search of something. "There's a big—_real_ big electric charge somewhere—sorry if I don't like getting fried."

"I'm a lightning rod," David shrugged, "Seriously, the only reason I let myself come is I_ know_ I'm immune to that bit of the name of the place that says 'Thunder.' Just stick close to me." He blinked. "Un… unless you're between me and the thing. Then that'd be bad."

"That's why I'm trying to figure out where it's coming from! I think it's that pulse the 'mites mentioned, but it was too much for them to tell us what _kind_ of pulse." He threw up his hands, pacing back to the Cubone double-time. "Did you _seriously_ throw your skull at the Pooch?"

David laughed meekly, again making the futile effort to scratch the back of his head, "Uhhmm… long-range skull bash?"

Sobek's face fell, "No. Just, just no. You know what? I'm starting to think you're the _worst_ Cubone I ever met."

"No news there."

"I mean there isn't a _single_ Cubone who'd be desperate enough to throw their own skull, David!" Sobek snapped. He flinched, wincing as he looked around again. "Sorry. I really didn't think it would be _this_ bad in here. If you could _feel_ this at all you'd understand how antsy I am—but seriously David! While it isn't exactly easy to find a club, you really don't have any idea how hard it is for a Cubone to get a worthwhile skull these days. What, with the Guild regulating hunting and citizenship and so on and so forth…. Nevermind how many times you've been taking it off—that alone is starting to making me doubt you're a Cubone."

"…you're… not seriously saying that you think I actually _am_ a human-turned-Cubone?" David started carefully, but skeptical. "You're the one who said all of that was bunk!"

"Dave, I'm just—"

"David, _never_ call me Dave," the Cubone flatly said on reflex, startling himself a second after he said it. "Y-yeah."

"Okay then, David," Sobek said cautiously, taking a step back. For an instant, there was a dark venom in David's eyes that sent a chill down the Totodile's spine. "I'm just… the Cubone I knew… you _just_ don't act like them."

"So I'm not like any of all of the _five_ you knew," David rolled his eyes, then immediately glanced around. Empty chamber. No one sneaking up on them this time. "…doesn't automatically mean I am or was a human—and do we have to do this _now_? In the middle of a _Dungeon_ where there are Poochyenas trying to steal my club for a chewtoy?" He sighed, turning back to Sobek. The Totodile was a far paler blue than he was a second ago and the berry satchel had fallen from his hand. David blinked. "Uh, Sobek? Sob_aaak not agaainnnnn!_"

But the Pooch just ran past him, clipping the stunned Sobek on the shoulder and made for the other passage out. Just as it reached it, it skidded to a stop and reversed course, darting back the way it came. Then stopped again, slowly backing away.

Snatching his club before the Pooch got a chance to, David picked himself up. The Pooch was completely ignoring them, it just kept running back and forth between the two passageways out of the chamber like a cornered rat.

Never before had he actually wanted to be attacked by something.

"Sobek. …just how bad is it?"

Sobek shook his head, glancing down both passageways and the Pooch paralyzed by indecision. A female Nidoran darted into the room from where the two lizards had entered, skidding to a stop at the sight of them.

David readied his club as she let a rallying cry, the Pooch finally taking an aggressive stance against him, "We _just_ cleared those rooms though, there was nothing left—hole of crazy?" Another Rattata and Poochyena appeared down the Nidoran's corridor, standing at her sides and the four slowly advanced.

"Yeah, hole of… oh, here it comes…."

The yellow paint of the walls dimmed, the light surging out of the room down the corridors and leaving the six in near-darkness.

Sobek backpedaled, pulling David along with him. "Back up, David," he whispered weakly, "Back it up, towards the corner."

The glow flowed back through the lines on the wall, a faint burst that poured in from the depths of the dungeon and emptied towards where they entered. Then another surge; a little faster into the room, a little faster out of it, and a little brighter. Then another and another, the pulses slowly growing from once every ten seconds to once every two.

The wilds were frozen in indecision to attack or to huddle for protection and in fear of what was happening. The Nidoran took five fast hops towards the two, but recoiled at David taking a step forward to receive with his club.

Faster and faster the pulses, the paint on the walls cracking and spitting sparks. The yellow pulsating wider and wider and paint splintered off into the red, forming little lightning bolts that grew farther from the core yellow line with each pulse.

The corridor leading to the depths of the dungeon burst aglow with arching electricity, the bolts cracking back and forth between the walls, surging faster and faster towards them and, before either of them could react, entered the room.

With a single loud _crack_, the air burst alive with electricity. The next thing he knew, David felt the strange sensation of standing under a warm waterfall and the water that cascaded around him was filled with raw energy that blasted away his sensation of standing in a dungy cave.

And then, just as he was realizing what he felt, it stopped. The room was silent and dark, and the corridor leading towards where they entered carried on the static charge, slowly dying out as it went. When it hit the next room, there was a single blast of light and thunder as electricity flew from all the walls before then the surge carried on in the other corridor, growing weaker and weaker until it dissipated before reaching where they had started.

The wilds were strewn haphazardly around the far edge of the room, paralyzed by the charge, but still conscious. A few hyperventilating, but all conscious. Well, except for the Rattata. It was standing right next to the wall and got the full brunt of the charge and was clearly out.

Oh right, Sobek.

A glance behind him showed the Totodile had dove to the ground at the very last moment, hands over his head, still bracing for impact.

David stopped a laugh but bit his lip as he let out a very devious grin. Just let him sit there for another minute or so. Let him figure it out it's over.

Slowly, David crept away towards the dropped berry satchel. He stretched as he walked, yawning like he just reluctantly woke from a very nice nap as he made his way over.

"Let's see, what's in here?" He mumbled as he peered inside, "…rocks?" He looked back to Sobek. Still cowering? "Hey, Sobek." The Totodile opened an eye. "Why is there a bunch of..." He faded off as he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. The Nidoran snorted and stood. She must have been close enough to him for the whatever whateverness that was to ignore her on its way to David Lightningrod.

…no that name didn't work. Too many syllables, or they just didn't roll off the tongue as easily as he wanted. And it sounded _really_ silly too.

The Nidoran advanced. David glanced to Sobek, "One moment."

He stepped forward and bopped his club against her head, just enough to daze her. The Nidoran quickly shook it off and growled at him. David sighed, rolling his eyes and bluntly slammed his club down. "I try to be nice for once…. Anyway, Sobek! Why are there a bunch of rocks in my berry satchel again?"

Sobek sat up, glancing around as the usual glow of the dungeon came back to full strength. The extra little tendrils the yellow paint had made during the surges had disappeared… but the line itself was in a different pattern.

Sobek gulped, "Well, now we know why it's called Thunderwave Cave."

* * *

**A quick thanks to ShadowVulpi for calling me out on _not_ specifying what type of skull David is wearing when I had him look it over the first time. 'cuz, you know, as a Cubone, it's kinda important. Another round of thanks for everyone who's taking a moment to drop a comment. You guys help me out more than you realize.**

**Anyway, thanks again for reading!**


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